The Symptoms in the Anthropologist
by thorteso
Summary: Short chapters about B&B dealing with pregnancy symptoms and their new relationship.
1. A is for Acne

**Here is the first chapter of my new story. I have been trying to bank chapters so that I could update quickly, but I don't want to wait for the premiere to start posting. Hope you like them!**

**Disclaimer - don't own anything, not even the DVDs :(**

Acne

Temperance Brennan stood in front of her bathroom mirror. She had been standing here, studying her face in the mirror for 20 minutes. Booth was already in the bedroom, probably asleep, and yet she still stared at her face in the bathroom.

It had started. She knew it was coming. Hormonal imbalance, especially the excess progesterone, during pregnancy can lead to skin problems. And if it were any other person, that logical explanation would be sufficient.

But to the exhausted, nauseous, pimply-faced anthropologist, it was the last straw. She hated being pregnant.

If this is what it was like at week 7 was like, the next 33 were going to be hell (metaphorically speaking of course).

Sure it was just the beginning. Booth was the only person besides herself and her doctor that knew. She wasn't even showing yet. Although she had been nauseous in the mornings, she had not had too many symptoms. That is until she told Booth.

Last week when she had confirmed for herself that she was pregnant and then finally got up the nerve to tell Booth the night Michael was born, she was very happy. Booth was happy, too. The whole idea of pregnancy seemed exciting and thrilling. They had gone back to Booth's apartment that night and well, celebrated.

The next morning, she almost didn't make it to the bathroom before the vomiting started. And it had been down hill from there.

This morning's surprise had been a blemish on her chin. No, she was being kind, it wasn't a blemish; she had been noticing a few imperfections for days now. This was a huge zit.

Now on a normal morning, she could be showered and dressed within twenty minutes. In the past few years, her entire make-up routine had been 4 steps: moisturizer (with built in sunscreen of course), light powder (had to hide the shine from those glaring lab lights), smoky eyes, and lip-gloss (she did work with Booth after all, she had to look good).

Breakouts were nothing new. Throughout high school Brennan had battled breakouts like many others her age. It seemed to be one of the few things she had in common with some of her classmates. Thanks to a kind foster sister, she had been introduced to some concealer, probably stolen from the local drug store.

When college came along and she was on her own, Brennan began eating better and taking better care of herself. The blemishes gradually disappeared. So did the need for the concealer.

But today, for the first time in a long time, the concealer had made its reappearance. She must have still been pretty adept at applying the extra make-up, because Booth didn't mention anything.

Now, getting ready for bed, was the next step. She could see more blemishes along her jaw line and she was determined to stop this breakout before it spread much further.

Opening the face mask that she had picked up on the way home from the lab tonight, she wet her face and applied the bright green blemish-fighting mask. It had taken a while to pick out the right one, but she had chosen the tea tree oil mask for its natural components and after all, it was community traded.

Feeling the cool burn, she checked the container again to see how long she was supposed to leave it on. 10 minutes. The extra hour she had spent on skin care today was beginning to irk her.

She really hoped that Booth was asleep by now. She looked silly with the green goop on her face and she didn't want him to know about her skin problems.

Five minutes later: "Hey, Bones, everything alright in there?" So much for Booth being asleep.

"Yes, Booth, I am just getting ready for bed."

"Bones, we have been staying at each other's apartments, oh, three nights a week since, well you know since when. You have never taken more than 10 minutes to get in bed."

Deciding to face the harmony, Brennan opened the door. "I seem to have a hormonal imbalance that has resulted in skin blemishes," she said with a huff.

Knowing that she had had a rough week and trying to be a good boyfriend, he only chuckled a little before pulling her into his arms. Grabbing a washcloth from the sink, Booth led her over to the bed to sit down.

"Bones, you don't have to hide in the bathroom and put this, stuff, on your face. I know you have zits. You've been trying to hide them for a few days now."

Shocked, Brennan's mouth fell open. "You noticed?"

"Well, yeah, Bones. I look at your face for a good part of the day, I notice these things."

"But, you didn't say anything!"

"Well, no. We started…seeing…each other, what, a month ago? Plus, it's not a big deal. I had pretty bad acne growing up."

"Yes, I have noticed the dimpling, especially along your jaw line."

"See, no big deal. Most people probably haven't noticed at all."

"Thank you, Booth."

"No problem, Babe, now let's get some sleep." Getting up and walking around to his side of the bed, Booth crawled in and waited for Bones to get in as well. They didn't sleep in each other's arms, probably due to both leading single lives for so long. Booth always slept on his back (he was a sniper after all, had to be alert) and Brennan usually was on her side facing him. She would usually give him a quick kiss as she lay down next to him and they would be lulled to sleep by the other's breathing.

But before Booth could enter into dreamland, he felt Brennan tap him on the shoulder.

"Yes, Bones."

"What did you mean when you said we had only been seeing each other for one month. Why did that stop you from mentioning my skin problems?"

"What I meant was that this is still so new and I usually don't start making hygiene comments that early in a relationship," he said sarcastically.

"Oh. But, if we weren't having sex, you would have made joking comments about my skin. Is there some relationship more that I am not aware of that stops one from speaking frankly with the other?"

"No, but usually at the beginning people are more, how did your father put it, 'polite'."

"Oh. Booth?"

"Yeah?"

"I don't want to be polite. I want to be us."

Booth turned on his side towards her. "I want to be us too. So, next time I will be sure to point out your flaws and mock them appropriately."

"Thank you." With a kiss to the cheek and a good night from both of them, Booth thought that their conversation was over until he heard his whispered name, "Booth?"

"Yes, Bones."

"Don't call me 'Babe'."

"Yes, Dear," he chuckled as they both finally fell asleep.


	2. B is for Boobs

**Thanks to those who reviewed and added this story to their alerts. Hope you like this chapter! Please review!**

Boobs

Nearing the end of her first trimester, not only were her pants beginning to feel snug as her hips widened, but none of her bras seemed to fit anymore. The underwire felt like a torture device and the straps dug in leaving red marks by the end of the day. No matter what she did, what style she wore, bras were now officially the enemy.

So, in her efforts to adapt as her body adapted, she had discovered what many large-chested women had known for years: There was no greater relief than unhooking one's bra as one walked through the door at the end of a long day.

Brennan tried to look professional and put together at the lab, but once her apartment door was closed behind her, off came the bra and on came the pajamas.

Unfortunately or fortunately, depending on one's perspective, now that Booth followed her home, or she followed him home a couple nights a week, her stripping routine on the way through the door was becoming rare.

Tonight Booth was busy with Parker, and after putting in a few extra hours at the lab, Brennan came home to an empty apartment.

Putting on her favorite pajamas and grabbing a journal that had come in the mail today, she went to the kitchen. Not having the energy to make dinner, she grabbed a bag of corn chips and a container of hummus and brought it with her to the couch. She had found that eating bland things had helped ease the nausea and the salty treat was exactly what she wanted.

Getting comfortable Brennan was reading an interesting article on a new bone defleshing technique when she heard the turn of a key in her front door.

Realizing that the hefty journal she was holding would only slightly stun an attacker, she grabbed her phone, just in case and stood up to see who was trying to get into her apartment.

"Hey, Bones," Seeley Booth casually said as he walked through the door. Giving her a kiss on the cheek he continued into the bedroom with his bag. Brennan didn't know whether to be happy or annoyed and stood in shock for a few seconds before following him to the bedroom.

Booth saw her enter the room behind him and started rattling on about Parker's baseball game. The young boy was much like his father, a natural athlete and had gone 2 for 3 with "2 ribi's!" Brennan didn't hear much of it, she was still confused that he was even standing in front of her, let alone what baseball had to do with ribs. Maybe they had gone out to dinner afterwards.

"Booth?"

Stretching a shirt over his head he must have missed what she said. He began giving her a play by play of the ninth inning, where apparently Parker's team did something well and then just all walked off the field. She didn't know how that promoted sportsmanship. It seemed rude.

"Booth?"

Again, not hearing her, Booth continued to talk about how the team had decided, after their playoff win to have a team sleepover at Jake's house leaving Booth Parker-less for the night.

"Booth?"

He went on to tell her about Rebecca allowing him to pick up Parker from the sleepover tomorrow and since it was summer break, keeping him over night then. Booth turned to ask her if she wanted to do something together with Parker; get him used to them as a couple before the baby news was broken. "So, what do you think Bones?"

"Yes, that sounds fine Booth."

"Great, so what do you feel up to? I was thinking of that Spy Museum. I think it would be fun to do with Parker now that he is a little older."

"OK." Seeing that Booth wasn't going to cut her off again, she took the chance to ask the question she had been pondering for about 10 minutes now. "Booth?"

"Yeah?"

"What are you doing here?"

"What do you mean, what am I doing here? I just told you, Parker isn't staying with me tonight."

"Yes, I heard that. What I mean is why are you here and not at your apartment?"

For the first time since he walked through the door, Booth took a good look at Bones. She was not in her usual work clothes, but was standing there with her arms on her hips in a wife-beater tank and a pair of baggy pajama pants. She looked comfortable. She looked frustrated. She looked hot.

"Well, I thought that since I don't have Parker tonight… do you not want me here? C'mon Babe, aren't you happy to see me?"

"Of course, my serotonin levels always rise when you enter the room. I don't not want you here, I just wasn't aware we were spending the night together tonight."

"Is that a bad thing? I can leave if you need some time alone," Booth said as he went to get his stuff together.

"No, Booth, don't leave. You're already here and well, I like having you here. I just…this is the third night this week."

"Yes. Bones, I know in the beginning we were going to take this slow. But, you're pregnant. We spend the day working together. We spend the weekend _being_ together. I thought we were moving forward Bones."

"We are. I just. Booth, you used your own key to my apartment. That hasn't happened in a very long time. In fact, the last time it happened it was very unwelcome." Brennan sat down on the bed and studied her hands.

"So you are freaking out because I used a key you gave me over 5 years ago,"

Brennan looked up at him and cut him off, "for emergencies."

"Yes, for emergencies. So is it that I used the key or that this makes 3 nights this week?"

Booth sat down next to Brennan on the bed and took her hand. He knew she was processing something. He only hoped that having him there helped.

"Booth, I need you to talk to me before you make a change. We are moving forward. I like having you here. And I find that I even felt warmth when I saw you walk through the door this evening. But I need to have all of the information."

"That works, Bones. I will tell you if I am coming over as long as you don't mind that it may happen a lot."

"OK. And you may use your key. You have one, it is only logical that you use it."

"Thanks, Bones," he said with a smirk. "So, are we done with this for tonight?"

"Yes. No more tonight." Leaning her head on his shoulder he put his arm around her.

"Great. Because I have something else to talk to you about."

Nervous that this would be another monumental conversation, she straightened her spine and readied herself. "What is it?"

"You are not wearing a bra."

"That is correct," she said with a smirk, relaxing in his arms.

"Does this happen on many of the nights that we spend apart?"

"Yes. My breasts are getting larger due to hormone stimulation and in an effort to get more comfortable I take off my bra. I suppose I should buy more lingerie soon."

"Now this is one symptom that I can actually help out with. I wouldn't mind you know, watching you try on all those new bras."

"Thanks," she said giving him a kiss on the cheek.

"Oh, and please, take off your bra at any time. I would even help you take it off; so that you are more comfortable of course."

"Of course. Hey, Booth?"

"Yes?"

"Stop staring at my chest."


	3. C if for Couvade Syndrome

**Hey everyone. Thanks for the adds and the reviews. Here is the next chapter. Special thanks to Wikipedia for the info.**

**Couvade Syndrome**

Nauseous. Tired. Cranky.

Temperance woke up that morning cursing the man beside her.

If he wasn't careful, he would be sleeping on the couch the next time he stayed over her apartment. If there was a next time.

Yes, she loved him, but she was not in the mood to deal with his clingy behavior.

Slowly rolling out of bed to ward off morning sickness, Brennan made her way to the bathroom to start her morning. Although it was Saturday, she had planned on getting up early and going for a jog in the park, she found that she felt better after engaging in some physical exercise. As the summer heat set in it was best to get outside early, even on the weekend.

Entering the bedroom she grabbed her running clothes and quickly pulled them on hoping to escape the apartment before Booth awoke. She used to enjoy going on the occasional run with him, but he now urged her to slow down or take it easy making the whole experience more frustrating than exhilarating.

Grabbing some granola and stretching quickly, she was out the door for the next 30 minutes.

Reentering her apartment with her arms stretched above her head and a smile on her face, Temperance was ready to face the day. Summer in DC was just beginning, maybe after working on her novel for a few hours, she and Booth could walk along the monuments and take in any outdoor entertainment they came upon. Or people watch. It was very entertaining. She was an anthropologist after all. Maybe even after that she could convince him to go out to dinner.

With fun plans dancing in her head, she walked into the bedroom to find her boyfriend sprawled out on the bed. She could tell by his breathing that he was actually mostly awake. Heading for the shower before he took over the bathroom, she grabbed her robe from the chair in the corner.

After a quick shower she found Booth still lying in bed. Deciding it was time for him to get up and face the day Brennan whipped back the comforter and told him to get out of bed. He mumbled and groaned and put a pillow over his head to block her out. Such a baby.

"Booth, I mean it, time to get up," she said sternly, grabbing the pillows from the bed.

"No," he said weakly grabbing for the bed sheet.

"You can try to hide all you want Booth, but I always change the bed sheets on Saturdays, there will not be anything left for you to cower under.

Begrudgingly, Booth opened his eyes and sat up slowly. "C'mon, Bones, it's Saturday!"

"Yes, and while you were wasting the morning, I have already gone for a jog."

"You went without me? I would have gone, we used to run together!"

"Yes, I am allowed to leave the house without the supervision of a chaperone. Just call my father and ask."

"Ha, Bones, very funny." Seeing her mouth open to reply he continued, "I know, you are becoming very amusing."

"Thank you. Now, get up. Go for a run or something."

"Well, now that you mention it, I don't think I am going to this morning. I've been tired all week, maybe it's best that I stay in this morning."

"Yes, I know, you're tired. Could you make us breakfast while I get dressed?"

"I don't know, I'm not really feeling up to breakfast this morning. I think the Chinese we had last night was a little off."

"I do not know what you mean by 'a little off', but I thought it was rather delicious and aside from the expected gastro-intestinal discomfort attributed to my pregnancy, I feel fine."

"Bones, it is way too early to try to translate Brennan-ese into English. Could you tone it down a little?"

"Fine, you can lash out at me all you want, I am going to work on my book for a few hours. I was planning on spending the afternoon with you, but if I am too difficult to be around, you are welcome to leave anytime." With that she left the room to go cut up some fruit for breakfast and begin her day without him.

Booth lay back on the bed, knowing he messed up but wanting to sleep more than he wanted to deal with it, he dozed off for another 20 minutes or so.

Finally getting out of bed, Booth decided to help out by stripping the bed and putting on new sheets. After completing the chore and starting the washer, he went back to the bedroom to grab his clothes and head to the shower.

Pulling on his jeans after his shower he noticed that they sat a little more snug than usual. Shrugging and attributing it to the evil Chinese food from the night before, he went to seek out Bones and apologize.

He didn't have to go far however, she was entering the bedroom as he was. Grabbing a book from the nightstand and turning to leave again, Booth had to grab her arm to stop her.

"Bones, I'm sorry. I was rude earlier."

"Thank you but you do not have to apologize. After doing some research, I realize that it is out of your control and I am actually flattered."

"Flattered?"

"I know that you wish to be involved in this pregnancy as much as possible. It shows your emotional attachment to both the fetus and me which I find endearing."

"Um, OK?"

"Really, Booth, Couvade Syndrome is not that uncommon."

"Wait, what? I have a syndrome?"

"Yes. Weight gain," Booth looked down at his snug jeans; "nausea," Booth swallowed against his turning stomach; "disturbed sleep patterns leaving you tired, and cranky; all consistent with Couvade Syndrome."

"What's going to happen to me? Am I dying or something? You didn't think you should tell me about this a little sooner?"

"Booth, it is not life threatening. The common term that many of the websites use is 'sympathetic pregnancy'."

"Wait, hold on, I am not pregnant."

"I am well aware you are not pregnant, it's a biological impossibility."

"And I am not crazy."

"I never said you were crazy Booth," Brennan explained. There is some research to suggest that a male partner cohabitating with a pregnant female will experience hormonal shifts in his prolactin, cortisol, estradiol, and testosterone levels, typically starting at the end of the first trimester. I do have to say, that if we only stay at the same apartment on average 4 nights a week, I would hate to see the severity of your symptoms if we lived together."

Booth stood there dumbstruck. This was not happening. He was not one of those whiny touchy-feely guys. He was strong. Army strong. This stopped now.

"In your research was there a cure for this?"

"Yes, birth."

"6 more months. No way. What's your other suggestion?"

"Well, I was thinking we could get out of the apartment this afternoon. Go for a walk around DC. See if there is music in the sculpture gardens. Then go out to dinner. Focus on other things. I have found that to be helpful with my symptoms."

"I don't know Bones, I was thinking of taking a nap this afternoon, hanging out in front of the TV. And I'm not sure my stomach can handle dinner out."

With an exasperated groan Brennan stomped out of the room.

Nauseous. Tired. Cranky.

This was going to be a long pregnancy.


	4. D is for Dizziness

**Hey everyone. Here is the next chapter, a little nervous about this one. It isn't as funny as the other ones, but I had to move the sub-plot of a new couple learning how to be with each other along a little. Feedback and reviews would be great!  
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**Dizziness**

"I need to sit down," Brennan said as she collapsed on the bed. Booth just stood there looking at her with concern etched on his chiseled features.

"You OK, Bones?"

"Please, just give me a minute."

This had been happening more and more. She thought that as her pregnancy progressed the dizzy spells would dissipate. No such luck.

In the beginning it was first thing in the morning, right when she got out of bed. Of course then, the nausea would soon follow and an unsteady run to the bathroom was in order. After about 20 minutes of heaving and retching, the nausea would be bearable and it was time to get up and start the day.

After a couple days of that she had learned to keep crackers beside her bed. Munching on a few before she got out of bed seemed to help the spins and made getting out of bed much easier. Although she could have asked her doctor for some anti-nausea medication, she was determined to deal with it more naturally. After all, there were women in third world countries all over the world who do not have the access to such medication and survived pregnancy just fine.

Just about everything made her nauseous and dizzy. The smell of Booth's breakfast in the morning. Or even worse, the smell of all of the different foods together at the diner.

And the lab. Well, Brennan's favorite place on Earth had become a stumbling block. Even when Hodgins was not doing an experiment with weird smells and exploding particles, or Cam had her vents on full blast in the autopsy suite, Brennan only found relief from the strong chemical smell of the lab in her office or Angela's office.

Brennan had worked out a system in which she would work out on the platform for about an hour before seeking refuge in her office or Angela's using one excuse or another. The hour was long enough to look as if she was working at her normal capacity, but not so long that she would start to suffer the effects.

The smells of the lab no longer made her nauseous, however the strong chemical smells still gave her many dizzy headaches. They usually happened in the late afternoon and caused a good amount of disorientation. And she suspected that after the past week, her co-workers had begun to notice her wavering.

However, right now, in her bedroom, on a Saturday, which she spent with Booth and Parker, not at the lab, none of those reasons were acceptable.

No, right now the dizziness was best attributed to what Booth had just said. But why?

In the past week or so Booth had gotten a control on his mood swings and had been a much better partner. She suspected that it had something to do with his lunch at Chef Wyatt's restaurant. In the past Booth had always been more settled after eating there. Although she doubted it had little to do with the food and more to do with a conversation with the former psychologist himself.

With less whining and more energy, he did not annoy Brennan as much and she began to enjoy when he stayed over, an occurrence that was becoming more and more frequent.

Brennan liked waking up next to him in the morning. Booth would rub her back at night when she was exhausted and achy, and hold her until she fell asleep. He was there to read the morning paper with, even if he droned on about last night's sports scores. He was there to make dinner, sometimes together, and the independent streak in her didn't like to admit she liked having someone to cook dinner for.

Yes, he still did some crazy things, but most of them were actually endearing. She would wake up from a nap to him talking at her abdomen, making plans for the future. He had already gotten a baby name book and was going through it each night with her, crossing out the names that they both hated, and she assumed he was crossing out some of the names she liked but he hated as well.

He was the emotional one and she was the logical one in their partnership and that was no different in their personal relationship. She would explain that the fetus could not yet hear him and that she would be willing to let him talk at her midsection in a few weeks. She would explain the emotional and physical differences that occurred week by week in both the fetus and her own body.

So she should logically be able to explain the emotional differences and physical changes that were making her dizzy. Accessing the hours of research she had done on pregnancy she knew the physical explanation was easy. Her circulation had changed as a great deal of her blood supply went to nourishing the developing human. This also affected her blood sugar, Booth would say she was 'eating for two.' She was probably even dehydrated.

Booth was still standing there staring at her, waiting for her response to a number of his questions. "Booth, could you get me a glass of water?"

"Sure, Bones. Anything else? You are making me nervous."

"I'm fine, just a glass of water."

As Booth walked out of the room, Brennan looked up and caught her reflection in the mirror. She looked like the same person that she was 6 weeks ago, even 6 months ago. But she knew that she was not the same person she was 6 weeks ago, and especially not 6 months ago.

She was going to be a mother. She was in a committed relationship. She was in love.

And in that moment she finally realized that the changes were not all due to pregnancy. Only Brennan would dismiss love as a classic pregnancy symptom. Angela and Booth had many colorful and poetic ways to describe what being in love felt like; she finally knew what they were talking about. She was in love and it was making her head spin.

Booth re-entered the room and Brennan looked up at him with a radiant smile on her face. She knew her answer and it showed. Seeing her smile, Booth too grinned and took a seat beside her on the bed.

Taking her hand he turned to her and had to ask, "are you absolutely sure?"

He reached up to wipe the tears from her eyes as she nodded and replied, "yes. Yes, Booth, I think cohabitating with you would be, would be…"

She never had a chance to find the perfect world to describe it. Booth covered her mouth with his, giving her a whole new reason to be dizzy.


	5. E is for Equilibrium

**AN: Hey everyone. This is Booth's side of the last chapter. I figured similar symptoms, similar chapters. Hope you like it!  
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**Equilibrium**

Booth watched as Brennan collapsed on the bed. He was worried that she was having one of her episodes again. Sure he had just dropped a bomb on her, but she had been doing that more and more lately.

As her body began to make visible changes, Booth had noticed that Brennan was holding herself differently. At one time she made her steps match his, which, although she was a taller woman, couldn't have been easy in some of the shoes she had worn over the years. Now, her stride was shorter and in an effort to not trip over her own feet, she was more conscious of her footing.

Not that any of that was a bad thing. Booth had been trying for years to get her to be careful and take care of herself, especially in the field. He hoped that this was something that continued throughout the pregnancy.

He knew that she was often dizzy, a common side effect to pregnancy, but some of it he thought was just plain clumsiness, and he loved it.

His Bones, armed with her extensive study of kinesiology, was surprisingly graceful. Whether it was martial arts or yoga or her brain's ability to assess a situation in a fraction of a second, Booth had always admired it as part of her beauty.

Booth had certainly been admiring Temperance Brennan and the way she moved over the years. He had watched her take on sociopaths who were much bigger in size. He had watched her walk along a tightrope. He had jogged beside her. And granted, she was not the most graceful dancer or ice-skater, but anyone who had seen her in her Roxy persona couldn't help but watch her come and go.

Her clumsiness was the anti-Roxy, but he still found it sexy as hell, even if it was also a little bit funny. At this point it was only a trip or a stumble, he could only imagine what it would be like when her center of gravity really shifted with an additional 30 pounds or so!

After getting her some water like she requested, he walked back into the room and saw her smile. And he knew. His request may have thrown her for a loop, but she was ready. She was going to say yes.

Sure he had lived with other women. Rebecca, Tessa (three days a week), and of course there was Hannah, but he had never done the whole ask someone to move in with him speech. With Rebecca he needed a place to stay in between tours. Tessa, well he wasn't going to count that. And Hannah, it had just been logical, the opposite of what happened with Rebecca; she needed a place to stay, he had a place, she moved in.

But with Bones, it was pre-meditated. He had been thinking about asking her for weeks. There were so many things to consider. Like which apartment would they choose? How would Parker take it? Would they kill each other? And last but not least, how on Earth was he going to convince her to say yes.

How do you ask Ms. I-can-do-everything-on-my-own, Ms. I-mock-tradition-with-big-anthropologist-words, Ms. Alpha-female-Queen-of-the-Lab herself to move in with you and not make it look like it was because she was pregnant or he was trying to assert dominance over her in any way.

A logical argument was probably best, but he had learned over the years to never enter into a logical debate with a multiple PhD. He had tried it in the past and Bones would manipulate his words and in some Vulcan mind trick he would somehow come around to say that they shouldn't move in together.

And of course there was the question of when and where. Since very few people knew just how serious they were at this point and because he had tact, it would have to be alone. And probably on a night where she had already consented to spending the night together, at least he had a lower chance of her already being annoyed with him. Oh, and can't forget to avoid the hormone meltdowns.

So much to think about. So when he knew what to say and it seemed to be a good crazy and murder free evening, he prepared for the worst and began talking.

But she had said yes. Before he had launched into the whole speech he had planned. This was the first time he was going to do this right and he didn't even have to.

He heard, "yes. Yes, Booth, I think cohabitating with you would be, would be…"

And that was the last he heard. He could at least jump to the end of his convincing argument and kiss the hell out of her.

Later that night after some celebrating, decisions had to be made. Well they did not have to be made, but when you are in a relationship with Temperance Brennan and are too blissed out to form a coherent argument against it, decisions get made.

With Booth lying on his back and Brennan curled on her side next to him she idly traced random shapes on his chest. One of the few things she did randomly.

"So, should I call a moving crew to come by this weekend or next weekend?"

"Well, I guess that answers the when you want to get started. Do we need a moving crew?"

"I assume you will not allow me to be doing any heavy lifting, although I am more than capable, you have back alignment problems and neither of us have very much time. Ergo, moving crew."

"Alright. But shouldn't we talk about where all of this stuff will be going? And who's stuff it will be?"

"Well, my stuff of course, I am moving in to your place."

"You are?"

"Well, you asked if I would move in with you. Didn't that mean to your apartment?"

"Well, yes, no. I was just asking if you wanted to live together, I thought we would discuss the place."

"Well, Parker already has a room at your apartment. I assumed it would be easier for one person to move instead of two. Plus it is only temporary."

"Whoa! Temporary? Bones, I asked you to live with me you know, permanently."

"I know that. I meant the place was temporary. We should be looking for alternative solutions. Both of our current apartments are not large enough for a family."

"Huh? Wait, are we house hunting now?" Booth was glad he was already lying down or he would be the one stumbling over his own feet.

"A house would be a logical choice. We should discuss neighborhoods."

Chuckling, Booth kissed her on the forehead. "Whatever you say, Dear. You can plan it all in the morning."

Booth should have known better. Bones was an all or nothing type of woman. Full speed ahead. Of course they would jump ahead a step or two, just like everything else in their relationship.

That night they both dreamed of a life together. Some ups, some downs, but they were always there to catch the other when they stumbled.


	6. F is for Food

**AN: This one is shorter than the others but the next three chapters are similar so I didn't want to overdo it. Also, I only have three more chapters saved so I have to really get writing! Updates may slow down and be shorter, but I really hope to do a symptom for each letter. Please review and tell me what you think!  
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**Food**

The movers had come and gone and Booth's formerly cluttered apartment was now overrun with boxes. They had both sent the day organizing the living room, clearing shelves for Brennan's artifacts and books by moving some of Booth's sports memorabilia to the shelves in Parker's room.

After they had done enough work on the living room to make it well, livable, they had decided to divide and conquer the rest of the apartment. Booth had told Brennan to take the bedroom and bathroom. It would be the easier task as many of her clothes had already been moved over the past week. He had suggested she take on the bathroom as well because he honestly didn't want to deal with all of her girly stuff. He probably would have done it wrong anyway.

Booth was then left with the kitchen and bringing the extra boxes to the basement storage area. He had already carried the boxes down stairs and was now cleaning out the refrigerator. They had found that making room for her things in the bedroom and living room had been easy compared to finding room for her food in the kitchen. Booth required room for meat and pork rinds and ice cream while Brennan required room for snap peas and hummus and fruit salad. And boxes of Saltines of course.

There were many fruits and vegetables that his poor fridge had never seen before, each one odder than the last. He ate his fruits and vegetables and all, but these weren't apples, oranges, carrots and potatoes. At the bottom of the cooler was a Tupperware container that he could not even identify.

"Bones, what on Earth is that green stuff?"

"I am going to need a little more description before I answer that question, Booth! And please don't scream across the apartment like that!" Brennan sighed as she was refolding laundry in the bedroom.

"Sorry. What on Earth is that green goop that is sitting on the top shelf of the refrigerator?" Booth said as he made a face and picked up the offending container.

"It is not 'goop'! I keep steamed kale in the refrigerator. It is very healthy, packed with nutrients, especially iron, which as a vegetarian and a pregnant woman, I need." Booth continued to turn over the container in his hand looking at it as if it was toxic. "Booth! I don't make faces at your food."

"You most certainly do! You always have! Every time I eat red meat or reach for a slice of pie you make a comment. You scrunch up that cute nose of yours," he put the kale down on the counter and stepped closer to her. "And tilt your head to the side," slowly he positioned her head in demonstration. "And then your lips curl up in this smirk as you explain how it is destroying my body," he finished as he finally claimed her lips.

After a few minutes of kissing just for the sake of kissing, Brennan pulled away. "What are you cooking?" she asked as she scrunched her nose and tilted her head just like Booth had said.

"Ah, I am making a Philly cheese steak for dinner. A real Philly cheese steak. Not like those imitations that are sold in DC. I found all of the stuff in my fridge when I was cleaning it out and decided to make one for lunch. Sorry but there is no veggie substitute. Is there something you want me to get for you?"

"That's fine. The smell is bothering me anyway. I am just going to take some crackers back to the bedroom with me." With one last kiss she sent Booth back to organizing the kitchen and walked into the bedroom.

Booth turned back to the onions he was cooking on low and shut them off. He knew that smells often bothered his partner and he should have thought before making something that was so strong. This was her place too now and she didn't need to be holed up in the bedroom for the rest of the night.

He decided to make something that that did not cause the entire apartment to smell – he called for take-out.

After finishing up his chores in the kitchen and making some of Brennan's favorite tea, he went in search of her in the bedroom to tell her what the amended dinner plan was.

As he walked into the room he could see that the closet was back together, their clothes hanging next together like they were supposed to. He looked to the bed and found his partner curled up softly snoring. Placing the tea on the bedside table he crawled into bed next to her while he waited for the doorbell to ring. For peaceful moments like these, he could deal with a little kale next to his steak.


	7. G is for Gaining Weight

**AN: Hope everyone had a nice weekend. I only wrote one chapter so the updates may slow down after this week. 10 more days to Bones!  
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**Gaining weight**

They had to be here somewhere. He knew that they had been washed since the last time he wore them and he remembered putting them away. They were his favorite pair of shorts, his lucky pair of shorts and he really wanted to wear them for street hockey this afternoon.

Okay, he thought, what did I do after I did laundry? Well, besides letting it sit there in a pile until the next afternoon. Hmmm, after folding it he put it in the second drawer in his bureau. Alright. Opening the drawer he looked inside and then remembered.

"Bones! Bones! Where are you?"

"I am in the kitchen!"

"Where are my shorts?"

"What? Booth, must you yell through the whole apartment?"

Mumbling under his breath that she was yelling just as much as he was, he started down the hallway. "Bones, the drawer I used to keep all of my shorts and t-shirts in now has all of your sweaters. Where are my…"

As Booth walked into the kitchen and saw his girlfriend at the counter, he knew the answer.

Turning to him she asked, "what were you looking for? You know, if you discipline Parker for shouting across the apartment, you should really stop doing it as well."

Booth took her in as she sat there reading a book and eating a very large bowl of chips and salsa. "Hungry again? We just had lunch an hour ago."

Judging from the glare she was now shooting him, this was the wrong response to seeing her with a snack. "I didn't mean, I…sorry."

"It's alright."

"So about my shorts."

"What shorts?"

"My lucky shorts, the ones I wanted to wear to street hockey this afternoon."

"You have lucky shorts?"

"Yeah."

"What does that even mean?"

"I don't know, they are my lucky shorts. They fit right and I like them, and they are just lucky, alright? We won the last few times I wore them."

"I thought you won because you were a team of good hockey player."

"Well, yeah, we are."

"So, why do you need the shorts?"

"Bones."

"Yes?"

"Why are you wearing my lucky shorts?"

Blushing, she looked down. She was wearing an older oversized shirt that was perfect for a lazy Sunday. But along with her soft shirt, she was also wearing a very comfortable pair of blue men's shorts.

"Because I woke up fat," she murmured.

"What?"

"I have been gaining weight due to the pregnancy and I…these were the only thing that fit comfortably this morning."

Now that nothing fit it made her even more sensitive. Between moving and work, Brennan had not had a chance to go shopping for maternity clothes and many of her own sweats were too tight to be comfortable. Booth knew that the normally confident and self-assured Dr. Temperance Brennan had been replaced by a self-conscious hormonal woman who hated to see her once trim waistline expand.

"Bones?" he said as he came to put his arms around her.

"Yes."

"Keep the shorts."

"No! I can change into an unlucky pair of shorts if you have some. I know these are you favorite and they are my favorite too."

"Bones, any pair of shorts you wear will be lucky," he said cheekily. "It doesn't matter I won't be needing shorts this afternoon."

"You plan on playing street hockey in your boxer shorts? That cannot be safe."

Chuckling he kissed her on the cheek and pulled her into a hug. "No, I won't need shorts because I have decided to stay here and spend the afternoon with you."

"Why? You were looking forward to playing with your friends and all I was going to do is sit here and have a snack and get fat."

"You are not fat."

"I know that rationally I am within the proper weight limits for a woman at 17 weeks pregnant, but I still feel very fat and unattractive today."

Guiding her to stand and leading her to the bedroom he begins kissing her neck. "Bones?"

"Yes?"

"You are beautiful."

"Booth…" she said warningly.

"You are not fat. You are gorgeous."

Brennan allowed him to kiss her neck and slowly lead her to the bed. She lay back as Booth lavished her with kisses and caresses. After making out like a couple of teenagers for a while, Brennan was left just in the pair of shorts.

As he reached to remove the last article of clothing, he growled into her ear, "Keep the shorts Bones. Seeing you in my shorts…so hot."

Brennan giggled. She would have to steal more of his clothes if this is the reaction she got.


	8. H is for Heartburn

**AN: I wrote a chapter, so you all get a chapter! Might not get another update in until Thursday, so enjoy!  
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**Heartburn**

Sitting next to each other on the couch, Booth was engrossed with the game on the television. Brennan had really no idea what he was watching as she was busy reading a rough draft of an intern's dissertation, very rough.

Except for an occasional scoff from Brennan and a hoot and holler from Booth, it was a quiet evening at home. One of Booth's favorite things about their relationship was how easy it was. There was no need to talk, they could do different things quietly and still be together. With his previous relationships, silence wasn't always welcome. Or it was filled with sex. Which he wouldn't mind with Bones, he was a man after all, but it wasn't necessary. I mean the sex with Bones was good. Great. But their relationship was so much more than that. Although there was some merit to the sex now talk later approach. Maybe he could convince her to go to bed early.

A moan broke through his now decidedly adult-rated thoughts, and not the good kind of moan either. Assuming she was frustrated with something she was reading in Fisher's paper, he attempted to refocus on the game.

Just as he was getting sucked back in he heard his girlfriend moan again. Figuring no paper could be that bad he looked over to see her grimace. He knew that she had been achy recently so he wordlessly started rubbing her back and shoulders hoping to make her feel better and went back to the game.

After a few minutes, Booth's attention to the game was broken yet again, but this time by Brennan's voice. "Booth, I appreciate the back rub, but I really have too much work to do to have sex right now. Let me at least finish editing this paper."

"Huh? I wasn't looking for sex. I mean, I can't say it hasn't crossed my mind, but why do you think I want sex right now?"

"Usually when a partner shows physical affection, such as a massage, it is a way of initiating something more. And you can't say that you have never tried the same with me."

"Hey, I won't deny it," he said with a smirk. "But honestly, I wasn't, that wasn't foreplay. I was trying to help your backache."

"I don't have a backache."

"Well then Fisher's paper must be really awful."

"It's Mr. Vasiri's paper, and no, aside from a few derivations into cultural anthropology, his argument is sound. What does a backache or a paper have to do with foreplay?"

"Bones, it wasn't foreplay. You looked uncomfortable. I was trying to be a good boyfriend."

"Oh, thank you," she said as she turned back to the paper.

Still confused but deciding to let it go, Booth started flipping channels looking for something else to watch during the commercials.

After another 20 minutes, Booth could not take the moaning anymore. She had gone from a few moans here and there to being a one-woman sound effects crew for a deranged porno.

"Bones, are you OK?"

"Ugh, no. Why did you let me eat that whole plate of fries?"

"You loaded them with ketchup, mustard, hot sauce and ranch dressing. You know I like my ketchup, but the rest of that stuff does not belong on French fries."

"But it tasted so good," she said as she rubbed her chest.

'But it tasted so good,' Booth had to chuckle at that. He was going to catalog this moment and use it whenever she told him that he shouldn't be eating a nice juicy steak.

"Do you want me to get you some Tums?"

"Why?"

"Your heartburn, Bones." Sometimes he felt like he was talking to a wall, a wall that spoke a different language.

"Oh, no. You know I don't like to take medication."

"C'mon, it's got like calcium and stuff."

"No, I don't want medicine. Do we still have almond milk? That would help."

"Sure, I'll get you some. Why don't you call it a night and get ready for bed, I'll meet you in the bedroom."

After yet another moan she nodded her head and started gathering up her stuff.

Booth went into the kitchen and got a tall glass of almond milk for Bones and figured that while he was at it he might as well get a small glass for himself. Except he didn't drink that almond crap, it was regular 2% milk for him. They needed a bigger fridge.

Meeting her in the bedroom and passing her the glass of milk, Booth went on to get ready for bed. Brennan drank the milk and was glad that it started to calm the burning in her chest. By the time they were both ready and settled in bed, Brennan was in fact feeling much better.

The lights went out and the partners turned towards each other to say their goodnights. One kiss led to another and if there was any question of foreplay earlier, there was no question now as Booth's hands began to roam Brennan's body. She was definitely feeling better.

As Booth moved down to begin kissing her neck, Brennan moaned, this time it was the good kind. As he began to move back up along her jaw she felt another moan coming.

What resulted was not a moan.

Booth jerked back, "Bones!"

"What?" she asked innocently even though she knew what he was scandalized by.

"What! You just belched in my face!"

"I wouldn't call it a belch, but yes I did release gas."

Rolling over and away from his girlfriend, Booth just stared at her. "That most certainly was a belch. I know guys who can't produce what you just did. Parker would be sad he missed it!"

"Oh c'mon, Booth. It was just a burp. And I feel much better now. My heartburn is going away. And I'm not that tired…" she said clearly hinting at something.

"Uh uh. I don't think so. Not gonna happen."

"Booth!"

"Nope. That was just, just gross. Goodnight."


	9. I is for Irritable

**AN: Here you go, another update. Exactly one week from right now we get to finally see a new episode! Oh, and think sarcasm in this chapter.  
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**Irritable**

"And don't follow me!" With that Temperance flung the bedroom door shut behind her and stomped over to the dresser.

"Bones, c'mon. I'm sorry, okay?" Booth tried to open the door to follow her into the bedroom, despite her very adamant request that he not follow her, but found that she had also locked the door. Brennan heard him attempt to twist the knob and actually allowed herself a smile.

But her smile did not hold for long. She could not believe Booth. He was just so….Booth. And it was pissing her off.

From the moment he came to the lab to pick her up she had been ready to wring his neck. She was trying to get in some extra hours in and finish up some reports on bodies from bone storage when he came sauntering in the lab.

He walked in like he owned the place. It was her place. NOT his. As he walked through to her office he smiled at and made small talk with all of the techs he saw on his way. Did he have to flirt with the entire room every time he went somewhere? He was so perfect and charming that it was nauseating, and she did not need another reason to be nauseous.

Then he just walks right into her office and tells her it's time to leave. Now, she had been tolerant of him entering her office and demanding that she go to a crime scene. Most of the time she wanted to get there quickly anyway so that the inept crime scene techs did not compromise the remains. Although she had broken most of them in over the years, she couldn't risk a new person destroying evidence.

But no, this evening he walked in and demanded that they leave to go home. Well, maybe demanded is a little strong. She tried to explain that she had a lot of work to get done and that she planned on staying another hour or so but he had the nerve to cut her off and insist that they leave immediately.

Dr. Temperance Brennan, world-renowned forensic anthropologist, best-selling author, and independent woman was not told when to leave work. She was not told when to do anything. She was not even told what to do.

And when she heard the clap of his hands and "chop, chop" she felt like she was going to explode. Brennan was not an emotional person. She did not know how to explain them to herself, let alone others. But she could identify this emotion. She was angry and he was going to pay.

There were so many things she wanted to yell and scream at that moment but she just couldn't find the words or way to express it. So she turned her back to him and ignored him. It seemed to be the most prudent way to deal with the situation. She didn't want to talk to him. She didn't want to say something she would regret. And there was some sort of satisfaction with remaining silent to punish him.

"Bones!" Booth shouted through the door. "C'mon at least talk to me. What's wrong?"

"If you don't know what's wrong, what have you been apologizing for? Go away!"

She couldn't believe him. The only reason the silent treatment at the office lasted just 20 minutes is because her empty stomach began releasing sounds due to peristalsis.

For that reason and that reason only did she agree to leave the office and go home. She was also a little tired and achy and had been looking forward to a night in with Booth. But, no. She was mad and the only reason she was leaving the lab was due to hunger. She might even go back.

She huffed and stood up from her desk gathering her things. Seeing that Booth had sprawled out on her couch while he was waiting for her she stomped over, pushed his feet off the coffee table and onto the floor as she turned, grabbed her coat and headed for the parking garage whether he was behind her or not.

He must have caught up to her because by the time she had reached the SUV he was right at her side opening the door for her and taking her bag to put it in the back. Like she couldn't do that herself.

And then, when she got in the car, the seat had been readjusted and hit her wrong and the radio station was set to some sports game instead of NPR. How dare he change things. He was the one who told her that the passenger was in charge of the radio!

By the time they got back to the apartment she was ready to jump out of the car. Just sitting in the car was making her skin walk or run or whatever.

As if she hadn't sent him enough hints to just be quiet and leave her alone, her had the gall to ask her what she wanted him to make for dinner. If he had to ask, maybe he didn't know her at all.

She had stomped into the bedroom and was here now holed up avoiding him. This apartment was just not big enough for the both of them. It was times like these that she regretted giving up her old apartment! Why did she agree to live with him anyway?

Just as she was thinking this, she caught a glimpse of herself in the mirror. The anger melted into sadness as she remembered what it felt like to live alone. Remembered what it felt like to not be the one living with Booth. And just as the anger had come at her out of nowhere, it disappeared.

She had been completely irrational. How could she think any of those things about Booth. His charm and ease with people was something she admired. He was always so caring, making sure that she ate and got home at a reasonable hour. I mean, the man offered to cook her dinner, anything she wanted, which was most assuredly something he would not want.

She quickly finished changing into sweat pants and unlocked the bedroom door. Seeing that Booth had given up waiting for her in the hallway didn't anger her like it would have 10 minutes ago. It was just another thing to feel sad and guilty about.

By the time she had found Booth in the kitchen she had big fat tears rolling down her cheeks. He was bent over in front of the refrigerator pulling things out of drawers, trying to find something to make for dinner that would please them both. As she got closer she heard him humming along with the radio, acting like nothing was wrong. The poor man was always so strong, hiding his feelings in an effort to make her feel better.

Booth turned around and saw that Brennan had emerged from the bedroom sporting a whole new emotion. He had learned in past relationships with women to just walk away when the hormone horror show started. Although this was proving to be a long pregnancy already, he thanked his lucky stars that Bones did not turn into an emotional rollercoaster every month like Rebecca had.

Without a word he did the only thing that he could when the mood shifted from angry to sad. He gathered her in his arms and rubbed her back. If he was lucky there should be one more emotional shift.

For the first time since she saw him that afternoon Temperance truly realized how lucky she was and how in love with Booth she was. Thinking her stomach could wait she pulled back from the hug and launched herself at Booth, devouring his mouth with hers.

Booth smiled as he recognized the lusty mood. He embraced her and led her back towards the bedroom. Just as they reached the bedroom door Booth knew he had to do one more thing to ward off a hormonal regression. He told her he would meet her in the bedroom as he ran back to the kitchen. Grabbing anything he could find that would be easy to eat in bed he jogged back to the bedroom to have dinner and dessert with his girlfriend.


	10. J is for Joints

**AN: SO sorry for the delay. Finally have power back after over 21 inches of snow! Here is the next installment. Hope you enjoy it!  
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**Joints**

"Booth?" Temperance groaned as she walked through the apartment door on a Friday evening.

Booth looked up from his position on the couch. He had left work earlier than she had to spend the afternoon with Parker. The current caseload was light and he decided he would rather spend time with his son and bring some paperwork home to do over the weekend then spend the beautiful summer day inside the Hoover.

Unfortunately for Booth, Parker was a ball of energy who didn't want to waste a minute of what was left of the good weather. From the minute Booth had picked him up Parker had a list of things he wanted to do. They started with basketball in the park. Booth loved shooting around with his son, however, Parker was growing up and was a much better match on the court. Booth didn't want to admit that he was almost 40 and that his son could beat him so he may have done more than his bad back and poorly healed feet could handle.

Next up was rollerblading. Although it was better on the back, it did nothing for his feet. Then Frisbee where a diving catch really wrenched his back. And that only took them up until three in the afternoon. Booth was looking forward to the new baby. It would be a distraction for Parker and most importantly, it would give him another ten years to be 'Dad: the unbeatable superhero'.

Putting aside his own aches and pains he sat up as Bones entered their apartment.

"Hey. What's wrong?" He could tell by just the way she said his name but looking up and seeing his bedraggled girlfriend, he knew she had a rough afternoon. He watched as she trudged to the bedroom and sprawled out on the bed, not even bothering to take off her shoes.

"It hurts."

"What hurts?"

"Everything. My lumbar spine is not handling the additional weight well. And the same for my feet – the talus, cuboid – just everything."

At this point Booth had finally made it to the bed and lay down beside her. "I'm sorry." Booth rolled over to face her and took the hot pack he had with him, passing it to Brennan. "Here, I'll share."

"Thank you," she said as she rolled over so that her back was to Booth. He placed the heat pack along her back and cuddled up behind her. They didn't often curl up like this together and Booth loved the chance to wrap himself around her. When they slept, especially now that Brennan's pregnancy was more pronounced, they tended to stay on their own side of the bed. At the office and in the field they tried to keep a professional distance from one another even though everyone was well aware of their new relationship status. Life was so busy that they rarely had a chance to just be together like this, be intimate without having sex.

As they both lay there, soaking up the comfort from the other person, they drifted off to sleep.

About an hour later Brennan rolled over to face Booth. He had woken up a few minutes before her and greeted her with a smile. "Hi."

"Hello. Thanks for sharing the heating pad," she answered back with a smirk.

"Are you feeling better?"

"Yes. I may take a hot bath though, try to relax my muscles."

"Mind if I join you?" Booth asked with a kiss to her lips.

"If I remember correctly, there is more than enough room for two adults in that tub of yours. Although we may have to leave the comic books and beer hats behind." Brennan got off the bed and headed for the bathroom to start the tub.

"Hey, I will not apologize for the comic books and beer hat. But if you were in the tub with me, I may be distracted enough to leave them behind." Booth joined her in the bathroom and started undressing.

As she settled into the warm bath waters and leaned against Booth, Brennan let out a long moan. "I love this bathtub."

"Do you want me to leave you alone with it?" Booth asked sarcastically.

"Why would I want to be alone? I just said that you should join me? Do you want to get out?"

"No, Bones, it's just a saying.

"Oh. You know, I used to have some pretty vivid dreams about you and this tub."

"Oh yeah?" he said with a smile.

"Yes ok course. Seeing you in this tub…"

"You mean seeing me out of the tub. I distinctly remember you taking a peek."

"Booth, I am an anthropologist and a grown woman, you were not the first naked man I had ever seen."

"Let's not talk about other naked men in your life while we are sharing a tub."

"You have nothing to worry about, Booth. You are quite the male specimen."

"Thanks, Bones."

"Anyway, a large bathtub has to go on the list for the realtor."

"That list is getting long."

"I think that providing him with a comprehensive list will greatly speed up the process of finding a suitable home. We only have 22 weeks in which to find a home, purchase it, and move in. After I finished up the reports this afternoon I talked to the realtor and to the accountant. Trying to speed up the process. I just want it to all get done and be over with."

"Shhh. Just relax. Everything will work out. Even if we have to live here for a month or so after the baby is born, we will make it work. Let's just enjoy the bathtub while we still have it."

With a nod, Temperance rested her head against his shoulder and let the stress of house hunting and being pregnant melt away. If all else failed, she would just pay for the tub to be moved to the new house.


	11. K is for Kicks

**AN: Here is the next chapter! This one didn't turn out how I had planned when I wrote the list, but I hope you all like it anyway! Please Review!  
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**Kicks**

Brennan sat on the bed that night while Booth watched TV. However, unlike other nights, she wasn't reading or working on her book. She wasn't doing paperwork on their latest case. No computer at all in fact.

Booth had thought she would have a book or some brainy article with her. But no, she didn't have paper either. In fact, her hands were just resting in her lap. Anyone else may have headphones and an iPod. But Brennan would not risk her hearing, even if she did enjoy her Tibetan Throat Singer research.

No, when Booth looked over at her, Brennan was just sitting propped up against the headboard with her hands resting on her abdomen and a smile on her face. A radiant, beautiful smile that was absolutely contagious.

Because, as of 6 days ago, she could feel the baby kicking.

While Booth would say that the baby was saying hello, Brennan knew that the quickening sensation was her uterine wall perceiving movements that the fetus was making. They had both seen the baby moving on ultrasounds, both in the doctor's office and using the lab's technology, but this was different.

Watching the baby move on the screen was like watching a movie. It felt removed. Although it was breathtaking to listen to the heart beat and watch their baby, there were still moments that Brennan would be wrapped up in her work and forget about the life growing within her. But now that she felt the movement, the baby would remind her before a mirror or physical restriction would and she couldn't help but smile.

It had started in the car on the way home from work. Temperance at first thought it was her cell phone vibrating. When she realized that her phone was not on vibrate and no one had called or messaged her, she thought it must have been gas, as unladylike as that was to admit. But when she felt it again 20 minutes later and then again 15 minutes after that, she knew it was neither the cell phone nor gas. It was their baby.

Now, Brennan rarely got overly excited. Sure there were moments over the years, undercover assignments, digs in remote locations, and the last time she remembered being very excited was when she was preparing for her presentation with Mr. Nigel-Murray.

But not one of those instances could compare to what she felt right at that moment. Booth swerved when he heard her yelp.

After that the baby must have slept because no matter how long Booth sat with her on the couch, desperately wanting to share in the experience, Brennan didn't feel it again. Well, she did. But it was after she had finally convinced Booth to give her and her uterus some space; there was no way she was going to tell him she felt it again that night.

The next day she felt the flutters throughout her workday. The baby especially seemed to increase movement after the sugar rush from a piece of pie. Another thing that Brennan hid from Booth.

Brennan had been walking around on the metaphorical Cloud Nine since first feeling the baby move. She had gushed about it with Angela. She had made sure all of her co-workers knew of the latest development and assured them that it would not interfere with their work. Although Clark did point out that interrupting what everyone was doing to inform them of this new wonder of biology was in fact, interfering with their work.

Booth on the other hand, although ecstatic for Brennan of course, was not on Cloud Nine. It had been explained to him that the movements would not be felt on the outside for up to 5 more weeks. But Booth did not accept this, he wanted to feel the baby move now. He was desperate to feel movement and his already fidgety fingers itched more than his pocket poker chip could satisfy.

Any time he saw Brennan drop a hand to her stomach, he quickly added his. He would not miss his first chance to feel it, even if he had to stay up all night hovering over her baby bump.

So when Booth looked over and saw Bones sitting there with her hands on her belly, he quickly turned from baseball playoffs and lay beside her on the bed. By now Temperance was accustomed to having Booth's hands on her and took his hand to place it where she felt movement.

"Can you feel that?" she asked.

"No," he grumbled.

"I'm sorry. I wish you could. It's amazing." She just couldn't break her smile, even thought she knew that Booth was feeling left out.

Running her fingers through his hair as he rested his head on her shoulder and kept his hand on her abdomen, Brennan started to drift off to sleep. After the first day or two, she no longer was kept awake with the light baby movements, something she knew would change as the baby got stronger and space became limited.

Just as Booth too was going to resign himself to sleep he felt a slight movement. He sat up abruptly but kept his hand glued to her in hopes of feeling it again. He wanted to wake his girlfriend up, but he had learned not to wake a sleeping bear, umm, pregnant woman.

After a few more minutes of feeling nothing, he shut out the lights and got comfortable under the blanket. In a reverse of how they learned to sleep together months ago, Brennan lay on her back and Booth was on his side facing her. He left his hand on her protecting their baby.

A few days later Brennan felt the baby move on the outside for the first time. What Booth must have felt was an air pocket or wishful thinking. But she couldn't burst his balloon. She had learned the kindness of a white lie. She had learned the satisfaction of idleness. And she had learned the joy of a miracle.


	12. L is for Lust

**AN: This is the last chapter I have saved up. There is a good chance that the updates will slow down, especially when I look at my schedule this weekend. Hope you like the chapter and Happy Bones Day tomorrow - LESS THAN 24 HOURS NOW! Remember reviews make me write faster!  
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**Lust**

Temperance Brennan was frustrated.

Since becoming a couple that has sex, Bones and Booth had experienced many different kinds of intimacy. Obviously, at first, it was an escape from sorrow. Later, it was a way of reaffirming the decision they had made.

Since then they had spent a lazy Saturday morning in bed. They had come home from work and dinner was forsaken for dessert. They had laughed, cried and broken the laws of physics.

That may be romantic and good and all that, but it wasn't helping her now.

Booth hadn't touched her in a week.

A week.

Since they didn't do things like normal couples did, their period of 'Can't get enough of each other' ran right along with 'Pregnant and planning for the future'. It seemed like they were balancing both quite well. Usually the latter stuff, adult conversations and responsibility, was taken care of on car rides or over a meal at the diner. The former was taken care of once on a long car ride, but most usually in the bedroom, or the living room, or the kitchen counter, or the bathroom…well, you get the picture.

Temperance told herself not to worry when the former seemed to disappear 6 days ago. Last weekend they had been consumed with Parker's visit and his activities as well as taking him to look at some of the houses they were considering. Nothing to worry about.

The trend continued, but she reasoned it all away, as usual. When nothing happened on Monday, it was because it was a Monday and a long day at work. When nothing happened on Tuesday it was because they were out late at a crime scene. Wednesday, she fell asleep waiting for him to come home. When Thursday rolled around, Brennan began to worry after she received a chaste peck on the lips before he settled into sleep. So on Friday, today, after a hormonal break down, she cried to Angela that Booth didn't love her anymore.

Angela, fresh from hormone hell herself, knew this wasn't true. Seeley Booth may be many things, but first and foremost he was in love with Dr. Temperance Brennan, had been for a while, and he was a man.

However, wise and puckish Angela Hodgins nee Montenegro was, she also knew that the strong Temperance Brennan was falling prey to the body image insecurities that most women dealt with everyday. So she suggested an impromptu shopping trip.

While at the mall the women chatted about baby things and lab things and gossipy things. They talked about their men, good and bad. But mostly the good as Angela continued to weasel details out of her friend.

But most importantly, they found a lingerie store. And in this lingerie store, there was a section for pregnant women. And in that dressing room, standing in front of the mirror in midnight blue lace, Temperance Brennan got her groove back. Well, she would once she got home and shaved her legs.

So here she lay. On their bed with new 1000 count sheets. Glasses of sparkling cider sitting on the nightstand. Soft jazz music playing on the stereo. Dressed in a nightie. And where was Booth? Not here.

She had called him on her way home from shopping to ask when he thought he might be home that evening. Aside from a meeting, the day was normal and filled with paperwork, so the chance of being home at a normal time was possible.

An hour ago, when he still wasn't home, she texted to make sure nothing had come up. He said he would be on his way soon.

Well, it was almost 8 o'clock, and if he didn't get here soon she was changing into sweats. Comfort 1, Romance 0.

As she was getting up to blow out the candles, which were now almost puddles, Brennan heard the front door open. Quickly she made her way back over to the bed and lay back to wait for Booth.

When he entered the bedroom, Booth stood there agape. On the bed was a fantasy come to life. And being a man and in love with Dr. Temperance Brennan, he didn't hesitate.

Booth was on the bed and kissing her neck within seconds.

Somewhere in all of the kissing and moaning Booth realized it had been a while. He knew that certain feelings were heightened for her during pregnancy and she must have been even more frustrated than he was. He had been waiting for her to feel better, less achy and uncomfortable. He had been waiting for her to make the first move. Well, she did. And in a big way.

The following Monday Angela walked into her office and found flowers on her desk with a note.

_Angela – _

_Thank you for Friday. Had a mind-blowing weekend. Tell Cam I won't be in today._

_Bren_


	13. M is for Marks

**AN: So here's the thing. The premiere was wonderful. I have watched it four times already. But it also reminded me of the fact that, even though we finally made it to November, it is going to be even more painful to wait until April after these 6 episodes air. **

**Therefore, my updates will be probably only once a week until the hiatus. Something to look forward to I hope!**

**Marks**

For a while I didn't know what had changed. I have been Bones' partner for about 6 years give or take. Sure she has changed her hair. It has been curly, straight, longer, shorter, she even had those bangs after Maluku. And her clothes have changed over the years. From Lara Croft and tribal inspired jewelry to best-selling author professional she now sported flowing maternity clothes.

But, no matter what else has changed, she has always smelled the same.

I can't name it; don't know the names of flowers or essences or whatever. I'm a guy, it all just smells the same. I don't know if it was a shampoo or a perfume or those chemical things she said made people attracted to one another. Maybe it was all of the above.

What I did know was that it smelled, well, Bones-y, and that I liked it.

However, over the past few weeks there is something else. It was subtle, not overpowering or anything, just different. She still smells like all of the other stuff but there is something new. The shampoo she uses hasn't changed, I checked. And I haven't seen any more weird bottles on the bureau.

It's not that I don't like it, but it's different. I mean, I shouldn't complain at all, our place will soon be filled with smelly diapers and Desitin. But the mystery remained unsolved and I decided I must have fall allergies and moved on. Until I came home tonight.

As I came into the bedroom to change after a long day at work I could smell it. There she was, sitting on the bed in nothing but her bra and panties rubbing stuff all over herself. The jumbo-sized container of goop was sitting next to her on the bed.

I was thankful that it was in fact a store bought container and not some weird home beauty science experiment I would find remnants of in the kitchen. Or some weird hippie remedy that Angela had given her.

Nope, it was run of the mill cocoa butter.

Although I wasn't around much for Rebecca's pregnancy and have not been around that many pregnant women I knew what cocoa butter was for. I have been shot and beaten enough times to know the healing wonders of cocoa butter and vitamin E. Although I never used the stuff as long as my doctors told me to, I have used it on the bigger scars. Scars can be rugged and sexy, but only to a point, or so I've been told.

Now in all honesty, stretch marks, even though they are a result of the miracle of life, are not sexy. Not rugged. And on some women, not little. It's the just the truth. Thank God Bones is dealing with it already. I can only see a little mark on her left side so far.

What is hot though is the way she is rubbing the lotion al over herself. I'm not lying when I tell her she looks great, she does. Pregnancy suits her. She says I think she looks good because it's my kid, but she has been hot for 7 years now, a cute pregnant belly isn't going to change how I look at her.

Realizing that this would be an opportunity to help and earn me some brownie points, maybe more, I fully enter the room for the first time.

"Hey, Bones."

"Booth. You're home early."

"Eh, didn't hit too much traffic. How was the rest of your day?"

"It was fine. I laid down in my office for a while. Caught up on paperwork." And so the odd small talk while I am changing and she sits on the bed practically naked ends. I love these little domestic moments. I love that she doesn't care if I am in the room and she is changing. But sometimes I worry that we are one step away from peeing in front of each other.

Going back to my original thoughts, I come to stand next to her. "Need help with that, Bones?"

"With what? The lotion?"

"Yeah. Here, lie back. I'll even rub your feet."

"Are you trying to get sex?"

"Always," I mumbled under my breath before a quick clear of the throat. "C'mon, I'm trying to do something nice here. I can go watch the game if you want me to."

"No, I find that I enjoy your foot massages."

"Well, thanks."

After she gets all settled, I sit on the side of the bed next to her. I warm a glob of the lotion in my hands and then start slowly and gently rubbing the lotion into her sides. She complains that the skin there is tight so I know she will enjoy it.

As I start to rub the lotion into her left side she began to pull away from me.

"What's wrong, Bones?"

"Nothing is wrong, however I find that I am self-conscious. I have been trying to avoid stretch marks, but this one showed up last week."

"Yeah, I noticed. It's OK."

"Thanks for the permission, Booth."

"You know I didn't mean it that way." Trying to cheer her up without saying something more stupid I pull her to me and give her a kiss. "You know you look great right?"

"Yes, you keep telling me that. I have accepted that my body will change during the pregnancy, but this mark is a reminder that some of the changes will be permanent. My body will be marred for life."

"One stretch mark will not mar your body."

"Do you know what mar means?"

"Yes, I know what the word mar means. What I mean is a few marks here or there will not make your body any less beautiful."

"Booth, stretch marks are awful looking, don't lie."

"OK, I will admit they aren't sexy, but just a few isn't bad. You rub the lotion and still do that yoga stuff. You look great Bones, I mean it."

"Prove it." Well if that was ever a green light…

"No, Booth, not like that."

"Huh?" I ask pulling back from her neck.

"Prove it. If my body will be forever changed by producing your progeny, then you have to find a way to forever mark your body."

"Um, okay. Well, I was considering getting a tattoo once we decide on a name. Not of the name, but something like it."

"Like your Parker tattoo?"

"Yes."

"While I do not like the idea of permanently tarnishing one's skin with ink, let alone the possible health risks, I do find the sentimental nature of your tattoos…, well, they make you the alpha male you are. I would very much like it if you got a tattoo symbolizing our child."

"So, yes? We're even?"

"I would not say that the brief pain of an artistic tattoo compares to childbirth, but yes, on this we are even."

"Great," I said as I reattached my lips to her neck. Maybe if I play my cards right we can find a few more enjoyable ways to mark each other.


	14. N is for Nesting

**AN: OK, so a lot of people didn't like M. Here's to hoping N is better!**

**Nesting**

Temperance Brennan woke up on Sunday morning to a gloriously empty apartment. Booth had left to go to Mass with Parker and planned on going to lunch with him before dropping him off at Rebecca's. That meant she had about four more hours of alone time. In order to enjoy this time to herself and not waste it by sleeping, Brennan sat up and got out of bed. Or well, she tried to sit up and then rolled out of bed.

After a quick shower and pulling on some comfortable sweats she was ready to start the day. First stop of course was brunch.

Entering the kitchen she opened the refrigerator and pulled out the bread and began to make toast. She stood there drumming her fingers waiting for the toast to brown. It just wasn't reasonable to make a hungry pregnant woman wait for a toaster. Turning back to the fridge she pulled out some grapes to eat while she waited.

The toaster popped as she popped the last of the grapes in her mouth and she spread her favorite rhubarb jam on the toast and sat down to enjoy her breakfast with the Sunday newspaper Booth had left for her.

When she finished the toast she went to the sink to wash her dish. And there she encountered the first obstacle to her perfectly planned morning. Sitting in the sink was Booth's coffee mug, Parker's glass of juice and two plates covered in syrup. With a sigh she washed her dish. Deciding to wash their things as well she began to pick up the forks off of their plates and found that the syrup had cemented them to the plates.

With a growl, she scrubbed the plates clean. At least rinsing the plates would have been helpful. Booth was lucky he wasn't there for her to snap at him. He was generally clean, but had an awful habit of putting off chores until later. Unfortunately, Parker had learned the same trait.

Opening the freezer to make the frozen fruit smoothie she was craving, she growled again. The waffle box was crushed and shoved in front of the frozen fruit. The ice cream was lying in the ice tray. And the fudge pops had lost their box altogether and were everywhere.

Having fixed the mess, Temperance turned to get a glass out of the cupboard and a spoon to make her smoothie. As she got out her supplies she decided that the kitchen was not arranged for efficiency. And if there was anything that annoyed her more than syrupy plates, it was inefficiency. However, deciding to move the silverware drawer and the glass cupboard meant moving around everything in the entire kitchen.

Finally finished with cleaning and arranging the kitchen, she made her smoothie and made her way to the living room. Her plan had been to catch up on a documentary that Booth complained was taking up room on the DVR and then hopefully get through a yoga video before Booth came back and distracted her.

As she sat down and went to grab a blanket to throw over her legs, she found all of the blankets thrown over the back of the couch. She loved Parker and knew that with kids in the house not everything would be in its place, but that didn't mean it wasn't frustrating. Prying herself off the couch, she began fixing all of the pillows and refolding and stacking the blankets. While she was up, she figured a wipe down of the side tables and coffee table was also in order to remove the rings left behind by the Booth boys.

When she finally sat down and turned on the television to watch her documentary she realized she had spent almost three hours of her alone time getting ready to start her day.

Deciding to skip the show and get right to her exercise she laid out her yoga mat in the middle of the living room. As the instructor led her on the DVD into one of the warrior poses, her heel clipped the coffee table. Turning her mat so that it wouldn't happen again she realized now the armchair was in the way. This was not going to work.

Pushing stop and putting away her yoga mat she tried to find a reasonable solution to the problem. And that reasonable solution was re-organizing the entire room. After making a detailed sketch as to where everything should be moved to, she began to push the furniture around. She knew that Booth would be upset with her if she attempted to lift anything too heavy she had settled on pushing everything and leaving the entertainment center until he got home. But then the rug started folding and getting in the way. As she got down on her hands and knees to pry the rug from under the legs of the couch Booth walked in.

"Bones! What the hell are you doing?"

"I am trying to find a better arrangement for the furniture."

"Why?"

"I was trying to do yoga and it was in the way, so the reasonable solution would be to move it out of the way."

"I mean why did you have to do that right now?"

"Because it was in my way. Did you not hear me?"

"No, I heard you. Why didn't you wait for me to get home before you started moving the heavy stuff?"

"Booth, I am still capable of doing housework. I did refrain from lifting if it makes you feel any better."

"Thanks."

"You're welcome," she replied still not able to detect the sarcasm in his voice.

Sighing, taking off his coat and rolling up his sleeves he set about moving the furniture according to the sketch. But when it finally was arranged, she decided that the new set up wouldn't work either. After another hour and another 2 arrangements, the furniture ended up in its original locations.

Flopping on the couch next to his girlfriend Booth ripped the notebook and pen out of her hand before she could dream up something else.

"Bones?"

"Yes?"

"I'm not moving anything else today."

"Alright. I will measure the room and have Angela use her computer to create a virtual mock-up of the room before I make another plan."

"Thank you." He was going to let it go but just couldn't stop himself from asking her the burning question.

"Bones?" he asked as he turned his head to face her.

"Yes?"

"I thought we were looking at houses?"

"We are. We have an appointment with the realtor at the end of the week to see a few more."

"Then why on Earth are we rearranging a room we won't even be living in for much longer?"

Brennan began to open her mouth to respond but promptly shut it again. After impersonating a fish for a minute or two she finally said, "I don't know."

"OK, then, can I make a request that we leave the furniture where it is until the movers take it to the new place."

"That sounds reasonable."

"Good. I am going to go get some water and take some Motrin so I can walk later. That entertainment center in heavy!"

Brennan laid back and closed her eyes. She was about to drift off when she heard Booth yell from the kitchen.

"Bones!"

"Yes?"

"Where the hell are the glasses?"

"In the second cupboard."

"Bones!"

"Yes?"

"Where is the Motrin?"

"On the top shelf of the side cabinet. It's not safe to keep it in that drawer with children around."

She could have sworn she heard him mutter something under his breath, something like "at least she didn't move the water" but she was already settling in for a nap. She would start her day when she woke up.


	15. O is for Overlooked

**AN: Did you all think I gave up on this? Well I didn't. My muse did once it saw what my schedule was like the past few weeks, but I finally have a chapter to publish. I have all of the other letters planned, just a matter of writing. Hope you enjoy it! Your reviews help!  
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**Overlooked**

"Booth? Can you get my cell phone please?" He heard from the bedroom.

"Sure, where is it?"

"I always put it in the outer pocket of my purse, look there."

Booth had always been taught to stay out of a woman's handbag, but he knew if he told her that she would come up with some long-winded way to say that she didn't care, she wanted her phone, and to do it now. Maybe living with said woman was the exception to the rule.

After a good 30 seconds of looking in the front pocket and a quick glance through the rest of the bag, Booth determined the phone was not there and gave up. "Hey, Bones, it's not there!"

"Of course it is Booth!"

With a sigh, Booth picked up the whole bag and brought it into the bedroom to show her. "It's not here, Bones."

"It must be," she muttered more to herself than to Booth. Discovering that it is nowhere to be found, Brennan sat there dumbfounded. This may happen to other people, she had helped Angela look for many cell phones over the years, but this had never happened to her.

Brennan looked up to see Booth on the phone and though it was rather rude that he was not paying attention to the crisis at hand. "Booth, what are you doing?"

"I am calling your phone," he explained. When he saw the confusion on her face he finished, "we can follow the ringtone..." Seeing her nod in understanding he smiled. Listening intently for a moment it was clear there was no sound coming from the bag or from anywhere in the bedroom at all. Getting the voicemail, Booth hung up, redialed and started down the hall to the living room.

On Booth's third redial as he listened in all of the corners of the room, Brennan had emerged from the bedroom to help him look for her phone. He looked up and saw her enter the room and held in the 'finally' comment. He knew it was harder for her to get around and didn't blame her, but it was _her_ phone. That and she would probably misinterpret any snide comment he made anyway.

He decided instead to ask an obvious question. "Bones, do you remember the last time you had your phone?"

"I can't recall exactly, but I know I had it on the ride home. You called about dinner. Perhaps I left it there."

Instead of going through the production of putting on her jacket and shoes to go look in the car, Brennan got back in bed and waited for Booth to come back, hopefully with the missing phone.

Booth came back 10 minutes later shaking his head in defeat. He approached the Queen-of-the-Bed-Pillows and sat beside her resigned. "Tell ya what Bones, I'll buy you a new phone in the morning. I have no idea what you could have done with it."

"Thank you. I do find it ironic that you are a detective and our lives revolve around solving mysteries, yet we cannot locate a cell phone. Maybe we are sloping."

"It's slipping. And I am not slipping. Selley Booth does not slip. You on the other hand… you are slipping."

"Me? Slipping is really a subjective measurement. And since I am the best in my field and no one compares to me, there is no way to even measure if I am slipping."

"C'mon Bones, even I can tell that was not a sound logical argument."

Sighing Brennan had to agree. "It must be the hormones affecting my normal thought processes."

"You mean pregnancy brain."

"I do not recall that term on the list the doctor discussed with me."

"That may not be the scientifically correct way of putting it, but you have pregnancy brain. You are all forgetful, misplacing things, I'm lucky you haven't misplaced yourself."

"You make is sound as if I do this all the time. It was only a cell phone Booth. I could probably get my publicist to get me a newer one anyway."

"Today it's the phone, but you have also been forgetful at work too. Remember when you overlooked that bone weird thing and that new squintern had to point it out to you? Or when you re-sent the same chapter to your editor twice?"

"Those were both minor mistakes. Working on many projects at once can be confusing."

"I know it can be, it is just nice to know that The Temperance Brennan experiences the same confusions that we normal people do."

"Very funny Booth."

"I aim to please," Booth said as he got off the bed to finish getting ready to turn in for the night. When he was about to leave the bedroom to double check the deadbolt and shut off lights, Brennan called out to him. "Hey, Booth?"

"Yes, dear."

"I do not appreciate that nickname. Could you please get me some juice?"

"Sure."

Booth made his rounds with his last stop in the kitchen. When he opened the refrigerator to get the juice, he stood there for a moment and then broke out into a fit of laughter. Sitting there on the shelf was none other that Brennan's cell phone showing 21 missed calls.

He grabbed the device and brought it back to its rightful owner. "You found it! Thank you! Look at all of those missed calls, I wonder who has been trying to get in touch with me."

"Uh Bones, they are all from me, you know when we were looking for it."

"Oh, right. Thank you Booth. Where was it?"

"In the refrigerator."

"Oh, I must have had it with me when I was putting away groceries. What ever made you think to look in there?"

"I was getting you some juice."

"Good, I'm thirsty, where is my juice?"

"Uh, I found your phone and then brought it in to you."

"And you think I'm the forgetful one? You forgot my juice!"

Booth got up and went back to the kitchen. Her confusion was confusing him more than it was her!


	16. P is for Puffy

**AN: Merry Christmas everyone! Here is a chapter! I have one in the bank and hope to really get writing after the holiday craziness calms down. Thanks for reading!  
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**Puffy**

"Bones, Bones, Bones, what are you doing?" Booth exclaimed as he walked into the en-suite bathroom.

There was Brennan standing at the sink with a roll of tape, an icepack and Windex. Now this may have made sense if she had say pinched her finger while fixing photo frames. Or was conducting some experiment that Hodgins had suggested that would x-ray and clean the bathroom simultaneously. Or was trying to deal with a zit a la 'My Big Fat Greek Wedding'.

But even the craziest scenario Booth could dream up was not even close to what Brennan's intentions were. Not that he ever really understood. Between the big words and her science-y super powers, he was generally in the dark when it came to what she was thinking.

As he came fully into the bathroom she looked up at him with innocent eyes like she had been caught playing with her mother's make-up. He couldn't help but smile and give her a quick kiss hello.

Brennan quickly tried to hide the supplies on the vanity but knew it was too late. With a sigh she said, "I am attempting to reduce the edema in my phalanges."

"Edema? You mean your fingers are swollen?"

"Yes, that is what I said."

"No, what you said was…you know what, nevermind. I need to beef up my vocab anyway."

"I have been telling you that for years Booth. You have a specialized and often helpful type of intelligence. If you were to purport yourself in such a manner, more people would be able to recognize that."

"Alright, I will add purport to tomorrow's list. What were you doing in here?"

"Reducing the…"

"That's not what I meant. Why do you have Windex and tape?"

"To help reduce the ede…"

"BONES!" he said in great exasperation. At this point he was considering the merits of going outside and starting over. Maybe grab a drink and turn on whatever game was on television tonight. But no, he just had to go through the apartment searching for his girlfriend. That would teach him to be nosy.

After a calming sigh he slowly said, "what are you doing with tape and Windex that could possibly help with the swelling of your fingers?"

"Oh, I am trying to get my mother's ring off, so I am going to wrap my finger in tape for 30 minutes and then apply ice and elevate for another 15 minutes and then take off the tape and spray the window cleaner on the finger. After that I will slowly twist the ring around my finger to pull it off."

"Hey! You said finger!"

"Well, I thought I would toss you a bone after you complained about my usage of 'edema'."

"It's throw and thanks."

As she began to cut off the circulation in her finger, Booth remembered what the whole conversation was about. "Bones, put down the tape."

"Why?"

"Because, even though I usually trust your mad scientist ways, that is probably the most complicated and ridiculous way to get a ring off your finger."

"But…"

Booth knew this was going to turn into a long explanation about chemicals and other confusing things, so he abruptly stopped her. "Bones, trust me, it's not worth it. I can help you get the ring off."

"Alright. But stop interrupting me."

"OK. All we have to do is tie a string to your finger and slowly pull off the ring."

"Won't that hurt?"

"Probably."

"No."

"Oh, c'mon Bones, you are always trying to prove that you are tough."

"No. It is my understanding that since we are now together, I don't have to put any effort into making you think I am something I am not. You love me anyway."

"Aww, that's… sweet," he said with a kiss to her forehead. "OK, how about the standard soap trick."

"Warm water and soap? Tried that earlier at work, I do have some common sense, Booth."

"OK. Well, we could just use the Windex, without all of the other crazy steps."

"Alright." After liberally spraying her finger with the window cleaner, Brennan began to try to pull off the ring. When she wasn't getting anywhere, Booth, with his big strong muscles tried to pull even harder.

"WHAT ARE YOU TRYING TO DO? RIP OFF MY FINGER?" Brennan quickly recaptured her hand and pulled away from her boyfriend.

"Sorry."

"I should pull that hard on one of your appendages. See how you like it!"

"I said sorry, no need to threaten junior."

"Don't worry, junior and I will not be coming in contact for a long time."

"C'mon, Bones."

"No," she said as she grabbed the ice pack and held it on her throbbing finger.

After a few minutes of silence, whether he was mourning the moratorium on his sex life or was giving her a few to cool off, Booth finally spoke up. "Bones, we could always go get it cut off."

"Booth, this is my mother's ring. I know I might not be sentimental about many things, but I cannot cut this ring."

"Alright, then let's keep trying. OK?"

"OK."

"Alright, I remember my grandmother once got her ring off with butter and plastic wrap, I will be right back."

"Alright, but do you mind if I sit down while you try this, my feet are quite swollen as well."

"I told you to lay off the salt."

"Really, Booth?" she said with a threatening look on her face.

"Sorry," he said sheepishly as he snuck out of the bathroom to get supplies.

Booth slowly reentered the bathroom with a cautious smile. Brennan rolled her eyes and gave him a look that said, 'I am used to your stupid man comments' and beckoned him over.

"Here. Wrap your finger tight with the wrap and then we will grease up your finger. Then it should all slide off together."

After a few minutes of application and then setting, she began pulling. The plastic wrap came off quite easily, but the ring was still on her finger. They both sighed in defeat.

Reaching over to the vanity, Booth wordlessly grabbed the tape and handed it to her. After wrapping the tape on for 30 minutes and icing her finger for 15 minutes and then spraying Windex, the ring finally came off.

Brennan finally got up off the uncomfortable toilet seat and went to lay down on the bed. Booth stood there shaking his head. He came in to sit next to Bones and took her hand, trying to ease the red marks all over her finger.

"Bones?"

"Yes?"

"I will never doubt your crazy scientist ways again."

"Thank you. Now a foot rub would help my swollen feet."

"Yes, dear."


	17. Q is for Questions

**AN: Here is the next chapter! A little different from the rest, but an important chapter nonetheless.**

** Please review!  
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**Questions**

At night, after both were in bed and the lights had been turned out, Booth and Brennan often turned to each other with a question. They ranged from soul searching to everyday practical, from heart wrenching to hopeful.

Booth most often asked about what she was like when she was growing up. He wanted to know what they were getting into with a little braniac and often the stories of little Temperance Brennan made their way into his happy dreams. Like the stories of her playing dress-up with her mother's clothes. Or even more comical, when she decided she was tough and took Max' and Russ' clothes to play dress-up. He could just picture a little tom-girl, braided pig tails sticking out the back of a baseball hat, ready to take on the neighborhood bully.

He also asked practical questions about raising a child together. In the quiet of their bedroom at night, it seemed that more got accomplished without bickering when they discussed things like this. Maybe it was because it was dark and they both allowed themselves to be more vulnerable. Perhaps it was because it was so quiet in the room and raising one's voice above a whisper felt deafening. Maybe it was because they were holding onto each other in a way that reminded them both that no matter what happened, the other would always be together.

Decisions like nannies or day care, maternity leave, diapers, sleeping arrangements all felt easier to compromise on as they both stroked her pregnant belly.

These questions usually led to pretty quick conversations as they drifted off to sleep. But there were also questions that led to tears and hours of conversation. Booth sometimes would reveal something about his parents. Booth often questioned if he was a good father, something he had been doing it since Parker was born. Since then, he had overcome his gambling addiction and had retired from the military. A lot had changed since the last time he was an expectant father.

For some reason, maybe it was because he was older and more self-aware or maybe because he knew he would be more than a part-time father this time, it all felt a lot more overwhelming as they waited for Baby Brennan-Booth. Brennan often tried to reassure him that he was nothing like his father. That he was a great father for Parker and that he would be a great father to their baby. She had once said that Parker was lucky and he said that he wanted it to be about more than luck. Brennan only saw the good decent man in him. She couldn't understand his demons because she knew, she had faith, even if she wouldn't call it that, that he was a good man who would provide for his family, in every way, and would always treat her and any child with kindness and compassion. She never doubted for a second that he might hit her or a child. But on the days where the itch to gamble was harder to ignore or a suspect pushed all the wrong buttons, he felt out of control and that scared him more than anything.

Brennan often asked questions that, although she didn't think they were funny, would send Booth into a fit of laughter. She would ask questions about television cartoons and stuffed animals, trying to understand why both held any appeal. When Booth would try to relate any of this to her own childhood, she would remind him that she dissected animals and played with science sets instead of dolls.

Brennan would also ask questions and bring up topics like breastfeeding and education and some new parenting technique she read about that some random tribe used. Most of the time she had to explain what she was talking about to Booth before he could actually answer her. And sometimes he was so tired that he just agreed with anything. When she was feeling silly, she threw in something so completely illogical, that when he agreed to it, she would giggle for 20 minutes.

And sometimes she would ask about her mother. Booth was already a father and could always turn to Pops is he had any questions. He was confident that he could at least fake his way through the job. But Brennan had no one to turn to and did not understand the concept of doing anything less than perfectly. She was a scientist. For her, everything had a correct formula or at least an empirical way to test a hypothesis. But she had never even babysat let alone been a primary caretaker for a child. In high school, no parent would ever hire a foster child to be a babysitter. They were labeled and no amount of good behavior could change that. Not that she minded anyway. Although the extra cash would have been nice for more books, she had no interest in dealing with children. She was too busy blocking out her own childhood to get involved with someone else's.

Once she began college, she never left. There was never a summer break with an odd job that might deal with children. She entered as a freshman and never took a break until she had multiple PhDs. Between digs and picking up extra credits so she could finish sooner, she didn't have time to think about children, let alone her own.

She had passed the foster parent certification and had limited success in dealing with Parker, Emma and Hayley, and even baby Andy, but she never trusted herself to be alone with any of them for too long. When she had first thought about having a child on her own, she had assumed a nanny would do the nurturing; she could do the teaching and then financial parenting.

But now this was all different. She wanted this baby that was half her and half Booth. And she wanted to be a mother. She wanted to connect with her child. She wanted to be a mother like her own mother; someone who knew how to make her social outcast daughter feel better. She hoped everyday that their baby would have Booth's personality. Being able to connect with others makes life so much easier. She hoped her baby didn't have to survive high school like she did, she wanted them to thrive in high school like Booth did.

On the nights when the not so pleasant parts of their pasts resurfaced in these tougher questions, they held on to each other. Where Booth lacked confidence in himself, Brennan had complete faith in him. And when Brennan doubted her heart, Booth reminded her it was bigger than she realized.


	18. R is for Restless

**AN: Hi everyone! Sorry to keep you waiting on this story. My muse is finally out from under the blanket in the corner and out of the fetal position****. **

**This chapter has been written and ****rewritten multiple times. In fact, I was about to post it an hour ago before I changed the whole second half of it, again. I just couldn't seem to convey what my idea was.**

**The good news? I have two complete chapters saved up! I will post the next two this week as these three chapters, R,S,T, are all taking place in one day.**

**Anyway, hope you enjoy! Please review!**

**Restless**

It had been a long day. For Booth it had been a day in the car with Sweets followed by a very frustrating interrogation. He was getting used to working with Sweets and really didn't mind the kid on most days, but he didn't understand the value of silence. Bones may have been aggravating over the years and may not be a model of social graces, but she did know when to sit there and shut up, well, most of the time.

Brennan's long day was also caused by a lovable, but frustrating kid. Brennan liked things ordered. It was one reason that she loved the lab so much. Everything and everyone was in place. Booth's apartment wasn't like this, something she had learned to live with, making the order of the lab even more crucial to her sanity. However, today there was no order.

At 34 weeks the movements of her child were not subtle. Now, when they were at home sitting together on the couch or in bed she loved feeling the baby roll and move inside of her. But as she was trying to work, a skull coming in contact with her ribs was quite distracting. And tiring.

So when Booth got home late that night, he was very surprised to see Bones still awake. Every time he had called to check up on her during the day, all 20 times, Bones had assured him that although she was getting weary of the fetus stretching inside her, she was fine, did not need him to drop what he was doing, and if he was late, to not wake her up when he got in.

But here she was, sitting up in bed, flipping through the channels. Flipping through the channels. Booth new instantly something was not fine.

Tossing his jacket over the chair he gave her a quick peck on the cheek as he sat down next to her. Deciding it was best to ease into a conversation with her to find out what was bothering her, and to judge the level of crazy hormones, he went with the casual, "what ya watching, Bones?"

His only answer was an overly dramatic sigh, and like anything 'dramatic' coming from Brennan signaled, he had to be very careful how he proceeded. So wrapping an arm around her shoulders and gently rubbing the baby bump, he settled in next to her. Next question…

"What are you still doing up? I thought you would go to bed early?"

"I tried," she said with yet another dramatic sigh.

"Tried?"

"I tried to go to sleep 2 hours ago but I can't. Or rather, the baby can't or won't or whatever. So now I can't." A statement as confusing as that was even more ominous than the dramatic sighs, Booth knew he should be on red alert.

"Want me to do anything?"

"No."

"Are you sure?"

"Yes."

"As long as you're sure…"

When his girlfriend levered herself out of his arms he knew that he said something wrong. And from the glare, he knew that it was very wrong.

"Booth, don't you think I have been spending the last 2 hours 'doing something' about it? I have tried meditation, a warm bath, tea, and now, I am sitting here in front of the television, the television Booth, trying to find a program that will be sufficiently mind-numbing so that I will fall asleep."

"I'm sorry."

"Although I do not think you understand what you are sorry for, I accept your apology."

Booth went about getting ready for bed while Brennan continued to shift and sigh. He knew that the baby was still moving and she was exhausted. But there was something more than that.

After he crawled into bed next to her he scooted down on the bed a bit so that he was eye level with the baby. He began with his 'Rubba da belly' that caused Brennan to smirk despite herself. And then he gave the baby a kiss, reminding her that he loved her to the moon and back. And then he just started talking. Telling the baby about everything he had planned after she was born. Stories about Parker. Stories about the squints. Stories about her mother. And stories about the best partnership to ever hit the FBI.

After she was smiling and laughing at how goofy Booth was being and their daughter had stopped pushing the limits of Brennan's uterus, Booth moved so that he was sitting next to her.

"What's really going on?"

"I am very anxious."

"Why?"

"We have so much to do in the next six weeks! I find that I can't stop thinking about all of the things that I should be doing. Booth, we have to close on a new place to live. And I want to finish my book before the baby so that I don't spend my entire maternity leave being forced to write instead of bonding with my child. And I have to make sure the lab is prepared for my leave. I know Dr. Edison will be capable, however, since I am not teaching this semester, I am trying to help the interns work on their doctoral theses. And then there is my father, who has gone off on one of his road trips again and I want to ask him about my mom. What if he isn't back from wherever he is when the baby is born. And I am worried about how Parker will adjust to no longer being an only child…"

"Bones! Slow down. Yes we have a lot to do. We will be closing on the house next Friday and I already have a bunch of guys who will help us move. All you have to worry about is ordering the pizza. You barely unpacked from when you moved here, so don't worry about packing too much, we can do that next weekend.

"The book and the lab stuff will all get done, and if it doesn't, it doesn't. And stop worrying about everyone else. Let's just do what we have to do, take it one day at a time. And enjoy the next six weeks as much as we possibly can. Okay?"

With a nod and a sigh of relief, Brennan lay down and Booth got comfortable next to her. "Do you think you can sleep now Bones?"

"Yes. Thanks Booth. For arranging it all and for talking me off the metaphorical ledge."

"Your welcome, Bones. It's late, do you think you can sleep now?"

When he was met with silence, Booth turned so he could face her. Booth knew he would have to talk her through the checklist again at some point tomorrow, but at least for right now, they could all find some rest.


	19. S is for Snoring

**AN: This chapter picks up where the other leaves off! Just wanted to also say that 3 weeks from right now I will be seeing Bones at Paleyfest! Super excited!  
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**Snoring**

If Booth thought he was going to get any sleep tonight, he was sorely mistaken.

Just 30 minutes ago he had been talking to their daughter and calming down her mother. He imagined he would go to sleep with sweet dreams of his family.

That was before the bull riding a steam engine started circling his bedroom. He turned over to look at his girlfriend, amazed that such a sound could come out of her. Sure he had heard everything from some, let's call it enthusiastic and loud, um, encouragements, spill forth from her beautiful mouth, to hearing her 'sing' along with those Tibetan Throat Singers, but this was something new altogether.

To be fair, he had gotten about 20 minutes worth of sleep. But the noise breaking through the silence of the bedroom was deafening.

It would be easier if he was a deep sleeper. Growing up he was always on alert for his father and as a sniper he would be on duty for days at a time. This was a great skill once he became a father. On the nights Parker would sleep over, especially when he was younger and Booth only got him twice a month, he would wake up disoriented and upset.

He knew that this would be the case again in just a few weeks. Even though he wasn't around Parker for the first few months, he knew about the feedings every four hours and hoping there was some respite in between. Although it wasn't one of the fun parts of the job, he was very excited to have the job again at all.

All of these warm and fuzzy thoughts were not helping him sleep though.

He had given her 15 minutes, hoping for some odd reason that the awful noise would just stop on it's own. Unfortunately it did not look like that was going to happen tonight. But how does one get a pregnant woman to stop snoring?

Turning her over seems ill advised as it took hours for her to get comfortable. And it is not like there were many sleeping positions available to her. So any sort of poking would not only not stop the snoring, but it would certainly be hazardous to his health.

Rolling so that he was facing away from Bones he took his pillow and covered his head hoping to dull the sound. With a sigh he thought that this could be the answer. And as he drifted off for a full 30 seconds with a smile on his face, all was well. That was until the next train came into the station. Now, instead of just hearing it, the cacophony both broke through the pillow silencer and now he could feel the sound vibrate off of the mattress coils as well. He knew he should have let her buy that new ridiculously expensive mattress.

Apparently he wasn't tired enough to ignore the whole thing, suck it up for his pregnant girlfriend and just go to sleep. At this point he had spent what felt like 2 hours, but was really only one, attempting to ignore the snorting bull to his right. And if he didn't do something soon, no amount of coffee in the world could make 5:30am seem bright.

Finally, with a resigned sigh, Booth threw the covers off and grabbed his pillow. He needed to sleep, and if the couch was the only place that he could do it, then so be it.

An hour later, after sleepily returning from bathroom trip number one of the night, Brennan realized that the other side of the bed was void of her partner and, deciding that she was awake enough to care, went in search. Didn't take long to hear a noise coming from the living room.

And there he was, curled up like a little boy on the couch, hugging the decorative pillow like a security blanket. When he woke up he would be the defender, the savior, the ultimate alpha-male. But right now, all she could see was a young Booth. She had seen Parker curled up like this many times and expected that someday their daughter would look the same.

Brennan almost let him stay there, but the noise that drew her to the living room broke her out of her thoughts. She couldn't let him stay there. She needed him in bed with her, as sentimental as that sounded.

"Booth?" she whispered as she shook his shoulder. She knew from experience to approach a sleeping sniper carefully, she really didn't like having guns pointed at her.

A sharp intake of breath and confused muttering followed quickly by a frantic "Bones, are you alright? What's wrong?"

"I am fine, my concern is that you are sleeping out here and not in bed."

"Oh, I was having trouble sleeping so I came out here."

"Well, you seem to have become sufficiently drowsy, come back to bed."

Even though he had wanted to hear at least something that sounded like that phrase come from her lips for years, he knew if he was going to get any sleep tonight he needed to stay on the couch.

"No, that's fine, Bones. I'll stay out here."

"Booth, you know that the couch does not offer enough lumbar support for you, it is not even long enough to account for your height. Just come back to bed. You'll sleep better there."

"Not likely," he muttered.

"What?"

"Nothing, Bones," he said as he resignedly got up to follow her into the bedroom.

"No, what did you say?"

"It's not important, Bones."

"Booth, I hate when you do that. I'm tired. Just tell me what you said so we can go back to sleep!"

"Fine. I said not likely. Because with all of the snoring, I can't sleep!"

"Booth, you have always snored. What difference does it make what room you are in?"

"It's not me! I don't snore! You do!"

"No, you are the one who snores. It's how I knew you were in the living room. I have gotten quite used to it. It is almost soothing. Like a reminder that you are there."

Ignoring what was probably the sweetest thing Bones would ever say to him, he yelled again, "I do not snore! I came out here to get away from that God awful noise you have been making!"

"I snore?"

"YES!"

"There is no need to yell about it Booth. It is common in pregnancy for women to snore due to increased …"

As he climbed into bed, Booth sighed, "Bones, I love you, I am following you back to bed against my will, please, no science at 2am."

Brennan turned from her nightstand to get in bed and held out her hand, "Here."

"Earplugs?"

"When I started staying over, I bought a case so that I could sleep better. But then I grew accustom to the snoring so…"

"Thanks, Bones. Sorry I left."

With a big yawn as she settled back into beg, she nodded, "it's alright. It was a logical solution to your problem. Just don't let me wake up alone again."

"Sounds good, Bones."


	20. T is for Tired

**AN: Thanks everyone for the reviews and the welcome back to posting this story. I hope to keep posting at least once a week...  
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**This continues right after the last two chapters.  
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**Tired**

Booth was right. No amount of coffee could make 5:30 that morning bearable. So when the first alarm went off, he made the semi-conscious decision to hit sleep and roll over, he would just have to run tomorrow.

When 7:00am rolled around, the prospect of a new day only seemed slightly more tolerable. Peeling himself off of the bedcovers, Booth rolled out of bed and stumbled into the bathroom. Barely opening his eyes as he stripped down, Booth got in the shower and hoped that he didn't fall asleep standing up. Or wash his hair with Bones' body wash again.

8 minutes later the alarm sounded again. When the earsplitting beeping continued on for more than 5 seconds, Brennan rolled over as best she could so that she could hit her human snooze button and make the pain stop.

Hitting a pillow instead of a man made her wake up just a bit more. The first thing she knew was that Booth was already in the shower and had forgotten to shut the alarm off completely. The second thing she noticed was that it was already after 7am and she had to get ready for work.

Getting out of bed and heading to the bathroom to brush her teeth and start her morning routine, Brennan groaned and moaned as her body dealt with the pulls of gravity. She ached everywhere and she hadn't even worked yet today.

As she was entering the bathroom, Booth was wrapping a towel around his waist. He had overcome the desire to sleep in the shower, mainly because in his sleepy stupor he had turned the shower to completely cold instead of nice and steamy. After the shock to his system he had woken up enough to finish quickly and hopefully get to the coffee maker before the shock wore off.

He saw Bones shuffle into the bathroom and stand at the sink, staring at herself in the mirror with a wrinkled brow until she remembered what she was doing in there. He caught her eyes in the mirror and mumbled 'morning' as he passed her on his way back to the bedroom. All he got in response was a half-hearted glare; she didn't even have the energy to glare properly.

After Temperance was washed, dried, brushed and clothed, she made her way to the kitchen for some toast only slightly more awake. She threw two sliced in the toaster, grabbed her jam from the refrigerator as well as some orange juice, and then, defying physics, somehow got herself onto the bar stool.

Booth's initial shock from the cold shower had worn off and he was officially a zombie again. He used to go days without sleep, just last year he was in the active military, but, even though he wouldn't admit it out loud, his 40-year-old body was getting tired and he was not as young as he used to be.

When Brennan heard the toaster pop she knew there was no way that she was going to be able to get back over to the counter to collect her breakfast. So she turned to Booth and with a pleading look on her face she silently convinced him to go get the bread for her.

On his way back to the counter with her breakfast he grabbed the coffee pot and refreshed his cup. He was only on his second and could already tell this was going to be a four-cup minimum morning. Brennan mumbled a thank you, but Booth was too busy drinking the sweet nectar of the gods to hear her.

Now Brennan was not often a jealous person. She often drank tea, even before she was pregnant. And she had even told him herself that she didn't mind if he still drank caffeine even when she was pregnant. But on a morning like this: it was the last straw. She was annoyed.

"Can you please stop moaning as you drink your coffee?"

"Huh? What?"

"The moaning and the drooling over your morning coffee like you are having an orgasm. It only serves as a reminder that a) I cannot imbibe and find the same enjoyment that you are and b) that without the jolt of caffeine, I am even too tired to consider an orgasm in the near future."

"Well someone is cranky this morning."

"You would be too if you were 8 months pregnant and only got roughly six hours of sleep last night. Which I blame you for by the way."

"Me? I helped you fall asleep last night, even if it was late."

"Yes, but then you undid any benefit that may have had when I had to go searching for you at 2am and convince you to come back to bed."

"Well if it makes you feel any better, my back is bothering me and I didn't sleep much either last night listening to you snore."

"You really want to bring up an aching back with me?"

"Alright, alright. Obviously this is not a good morning for either of us. So let's just get to work and agree that we are both tired."

"Fine."

"Fine."

And with that the crime fighting duo left for work, or rather two semi-conscious people were going to go to their offices and pretend to work.

After an exhausting day centered around a coffee pot and sugar highs, Booth entered the apartment. Less than 24 hours ago he had come home late expecting to find his partner in asleep in bed only to find her sitting up and watching television. This evening, since it was only 6:00pm he had expected to find her on the couch, but after continuing through the apartment looking for her, he found his partner curled up around his pillow on top of the bed covers with her shoes still on.

Although he just wanted to collapse next to her, he knew that she would wake up very uncomfortable in an hour or two so after he changed out of work clothes and into sweats, he gently woke her.

After a sweet kiss she wasn't as angry as she usually was when woken up and was actually obliging as he helped her change out of her work clothes and into her favorite night shirt.

As she was settled back into bed, curled around him instead of his pillow she took a deep sigh.

"Everyone keeps telling me to get rest now because once the baby comes I won't ever sleep. But I'm just so tired. Sometimes I am so tired I don't sleep! I don't know how I can be even more tired!"

All he could do was nod and agree and hope that tonight and for the next 5 weeks, they could both get some real rest.


	21. U is for Urination

**AN: Look at this! A chapter when I promised a chapter! **

**Thank you everyone who has reviewed. Even though I am awful at responding, it really does mean a lot and it helps my muse deal with the stress of my reality!**

**Hope you like this one! 5 more to go before the baby is born...32 days...think I can do it?**

**Urination**

Modesty and mystery had pretty much been sacrificed in their relationship in lieu of comfort. Although they had 'jumped into the sack' as Angela put it, rather quickly, they had tried to hold on to some mystery for a while. But then came the pregnancy, and the moving in together. Privacy had been the first to go, especially in the small apartment at that point.

But it wasn't until Brennan had hit her 8th month that all other pretenses were dropped. That final wall was broken down. The Rubicon has been crossed. Yes, just last week, Brennan had peed in front of Booth.

It had started off as a normal morning. Booth woke up and took a shower, while Brennan slept until the second alarm and the second turn in the bathroom. Only, she couldn't wait one second for the second anything that morning. She knew that one more kick to any internal organ, let alone a head butt to the bladder and she would be left with sheets to change and a mattress to air out.

So while Booth was wrapping a towel around his waist and heading for the sink and his shaving kit, Brennan waddled as quickly as she could into the bathroom, hoping the whole way she wouldn't sneeze.

When Booth first saw her heading towards the bathroom he smiled and turned to her for a morning greeting and kiss. "Morning, Bones."

Her response was a curt "yes," as she breezed right past him, leaving his puckered lips cold in the air.

Booth stood there shocked for a moment as he began wondering if he had managed to do something wrong before 7am. As he turned around to see what she was doing he was greeted with the sight of her pulling up her nightshirt and pulling down her panties.

For a split second he just thought she was eager to get into the shower. He glanced at the clock to see if he had taken longer than usual. Seeing it was still before 7, he turned back to her again. And that was when he saw it.

He saw his lovely Bones sitting on the toilet.

Now, he had seen women on the toilet before. But in the past it was because he had forgotten to knock and he quickly turned out of the bathroom or maybe through a cracked door. He tried to make it a habit not to be standing in the same room with someone while they did their business.

Booth was all about intimacy and pushing Brennan to that next level, but this was just a little too intimate for his likes. Yes, childbirth was just weeks away at this point and he was sure that there would be a lot of not so pretty things he would be witnessing soon. And he was well acquainted with the rest of her body. But he just couldn't help it; maybe he was a prude.

All would have been fine if she just hurried up and finished while he closed his eyes and ears and brushed his teeth. But no, she broke the cardinal rule he had learned after years of using men's restrooms – don't make small talk while using the can.

"Booth?"

"Yeah?"

"Why are you grimacing like that? Do you have a headache. It will be a long day if we want to finish the interrogations for the case. Maybe you should take a pain reliever now?"

"I'm fine, Bones."

"Alright. Remember to call the realtor again today. Oh, and I decided I want only hardwood floors. Area rugs are more easily cleaned and it is much more sanitary than carpeting."

During her epiphany on flooring choices, Brennan had finished, flushed, and she was now standing beside Booth angling for some room at the sink to wash her hands. She could see that Booth had relaxed his stiffened shoulders and his eyes were no longer pinched as he took a big sigh around his toothbrush.

Seeing his change in attitude, Brennan began studying him as if he was a femur that would solve the problems of the world. She may not be socially intuitive – but it was also too early for Booth to put up a front.

"Booth? Are you offended because I used the toilet?"

"Not _offended_, Bones, but, well, couldn't you have, have waited?"

From the death glare he knew that was the wrong question to ask. "No, Booth, I could not have _waited_, since your 5 pound progeny is sitting on my bladder! Would you rather I wait next time? I do have to warn you that you will have to mop up the urine on the bedroom floor, but if it would make you more _comfortable_…"

"Bones! I'm sorry. It was just weird. We have never done that before. It just seemed very 'old married couple'."

"I thought you wanted to get married?"

"Is that a proposal?"

"Booth!"

"Sorry. I do want to get married. And I love you, right? And I don't want you to be uncomfortable. I mean we have only been together, what? Eight, nine months?"

"35 weeks and four days."

"Aww, Bones, you remembered!"

"Booth…"

"Right. So, it just seemed like something that was maybe down the road. Just like us, and moving in together, and the baby. It's nothing really. Forget I mentioned anything. I love you. I love the baby. I can learn to love the sounds of your peeing. Well, how about tolerate?"

"That sounds acceptable."

"Great."

"Booth?"

"Yeah?"

"Are you done using the bathroom?"

"Yeah, it's getting late I have to get dressed. Why?"

"Well, I know that you are trying to be okay with it, but I have to urinate again and I didn't want to ruin the tenuous truce we formed, so can you…"

"You just peed like 10 minutes ago."

"Yes. And now I need to _'pee'_ again."

"Really?"

"Booth!"

"Right, right, leaving the bathroom."


	22. V is for Vacation

**AN: 2 Weeks! Here is the first of the last 5 (all but Z are already written thanks to spending a lot of time in airports!)**

**Vacation**

Between her meetings and engagements for her books and his time with Parker or at hockey, they had found a balance living together. They obviously spent a lot of time together at work and were both at home together every night, but they both had enough time alone at home as well. Brennan had been nervous about losing the time she needed away from everyone. It had always been something she enjoyed, even as a small child, something she craved as a foster child, and something she had grown accustom to in her adult life. Booth understood, having lived alone for most of his adult life, and Temperance was glad that it didn't spark an argument when she had brought it up.

This was all adult and rational and even veered slightly into psychology if she thought about it too hard. But now, having sat home alone all day, Brennan craved attention and human interaction. She had even turned on the television to just hear a voice beside her own. She would love to yell at Booth for screaming at the television or hear Parker playing video games or even the neighbors yelling at each other through an open window,

But while everyone was out having a life and working, Brennan was stuck at home.

At first the thought of taking her maternity leave before the birth was a great and rational idea. They were moving into a new home, she could unpack and decorate the baby's room as well as take naps in her own bed instead of on the couch in her office. A couch, which, by the way, had seemingly shrunk in depth.

She had started her morning by sleeping in. That had been a great idea as she sleepily bade Booth goodbye. But then a head-butt to the bladder had sent her to the bathroom 20 minutes later and she could not get comfortable after that.

After getting out of bed she did some yoga, the few poses she could still accomplish. She had researched which poses would help her gain strength for the birth and had been doing them daily.

After a shower and breakfast, she was ready for the day. Then it hit her. What day?

Usually at this point she would be at the lab. Although she didn't do field work anymore, there was plenty to do at the Jeffersonian between the backlog of limbo cases and the general paperwork that came with her position.

When the maternity leave issue had come up, she had tried to convince Cam to let her work from home. She planned on setting up state of the art multimedia in her Anthropologist Cave which would allow her to video conference with the interns and help them with cases. She had also offered to pay a courier to carry files back and forth between her apartment and the office.

But Cam would not even allow her to give the Powerpoint presentation on how logical and efficient this plan could be.

Brennan had an idea that Booth was somehow involved. He had been begging her for weeks to cut back on her hours. When she argued that she was regularly at home waiting for him in the evenings he pointed out that she was often working on her book or doing research when he got home and therefore she was still working. (This was resolved by intense eye arguing followed by eye sex followed by ice cream in bed.)

Knowing she was beat, she resigned herself to taking time off. Booth had been very happy about it, calling it a stay-cation, telling her how jealous he was. She had been surprisingly upbeat about it the first day or two.

But today was day 4.

And day 4 was not going well.

She had accomplished about as much unpacking as could be done in the advanced stages of pregnancy. She had put her artifacts and books on shelves, made beds, folded laundry, and gone back through everything Booth had unpacked to make sure it was done according to her specifications.

That took one day.

She decided to finish up her book. She only had two chapters to go before maternity leave and had planned to finish the book before the baby was born. But Brennan, accustomed to writing in those few minutes in between cases, had finished those two chapters on day two. Her publisher was more than excited and loved the ending, so it was either start a new book, or put away her laptop.

Day 3 had been used to run some errands. Driving was not very comfortable anymore, her arms too short to accommodate the new seat position, so she had mapped out the trip so that it would be the least amount of driving and time. Due to her careful planning she was back before lunch and had also had time to take a short walk around the new neighborhood, prepare dinner and take a 2 hour nap before Booth got home.

So that brought her to 9am on day 4 with nothing to do. Nothing to do, but sit in a quiet apartment and wait to go into labor. Nothing to do, but lay on the couch watching mindless television, craving real human interaction.

She had considered giving Booth a call. But she didn't want to cause him to panic when all she wanted was to hear his voice.

She could have called Angela, she would surely come over with baby Michael, but she knew that the lab had gotten a new case and that Angela was most likely needed at work.

She would call her dad, see if he wanted to get lunch, but Max still had an aversion to cell phones and was one of those 'don't call me, I'll call you' types anyway.

There was nothing on television, the internet could not hold her interest, she had even tried to figure out one of Parker's video games. She never did survive a round, but could see how the graphics and the competitive nature of the games could entrance a pre-teen and Booth alike.

When she saw the clock strike noon she thought, 'I made it through the morning'. Followed quickly by, 'I have another six hours until Booth comes home'. With a sigh she made her way to the kitchen to make some lunch. She had just finished making her pita pocket and settled on the couch when she head the front door open. That was when she heard the most wonderful sound she could dream of.

"Bones?"

"Booth!"

"Hey," he said with a peck on the cheek.

"What are you doing home?"

"Well, it's at the point in the case when my stuff waits while your people do their thing. So I thought I would come hang out here with you while I wait. Maybe have some lunch, .."

"Thank you," she exhaled as she grabbed him in as tight of a hug as she could manage. Answering he questioning look on his face, she continued, "it's so quiet here all day alone and I have nothing to do. I have been very much waiting to hear a human voice."

"Aww, thanks, Bones. What do you want to talk about?"

"Nothing."

"I thought you said it was too quiet, you wanted to hear a voice?"

"I did. But all I want to do right now is sit with you."

"Whatever you want, Bones."

"Thanks. Can you come home everyday for lunch? I am going swirl crazy sitting here alone all day."

"Of course," he said with a smile, not bothering to correct her.

"Maternity leave is much more difficult than I anticipated. This will be a long 2 months."

"C'mon, you're Bones! Just look at this like a challenge. Bones versus Maternity Leave, fight to the death."

"Booth?"

"Yeah."

"Go back to work."


	23. W is for Waddling

**AN: Thanks everyone for the reviews! They keep me going! Here is some more airport writing! This one actually has two symptoms, Waddling and Wheezing. It is a bit shorter than the others and not my fav, but I hope you all still think it's cute. Off to write X!**

**Waddling**

"Bones? Are you almost ready?" As the pregnancy neared an end, Booth found that it took them much longer to go anywhere or do anything. Not that he was complaining, his overprotective side liked that Bones was taking her time. But the other side of him was really getting annoyed. Sweets would say that he was reacting to a loss of control over the natural process of childbirth and the unpredictable nature of it. Booth immediately told him to cut the bull and that he was just a guy who liked to drive in the fast lane and he should back off or get run over.

"Bones, c'mon! We're going to be late for the appointment!"

Booth was excited for the appointment. He hadn't gone to many of her baby appointments due to their schedule and in the beginning her obliviousness. What guy wouldn't want to go and see their kid? OK, a lot of guys. Booth had to admit the one he had gone to was not all that pleasant. It was mostly about the medical stuff that he liked to avoid anyway. But on the one occasion he did get to go, all of the medical things faded away when he heard the heartbeat.

"Bones? Do you need help?"

Finally, after 20 minutes of standing by the door in the living room waiting for his partner, Booth caught sight of her waddling down the hallway towards him. Brennan had been waddling for a while now, but in the past day or so it had gone from barely noticeable to a feet turned out channeling a penguin waddle. And it was adorable.

Making it to the living room, Brennan saw Booth standing there smirking at her. After screaming through the apartment for her to hurry up, she still hadn't broken that habit of his, now he was standing here with that stupid grin on his face.

"What are you smiling at?" she asked as she reached for her coat.

"You, waddling down the hall. It was adorable."

"You find my discomfort adorable?" Sometimes she just didn't understand him. She knew he was sentimental, but this seemed to be even more so than usual.

"Yeah, c'mon watch me, it's cute!" Booth said as he mimicked her new found stride.

Head tilt. Glare. Although watching him make a fool of himself was slightly entertaining, she really didn't find it as amusing as Booth did. She knew that her gait had altered. She had changed her shoes and even her outfits to accommodate her new stride (she really did miss her pre-pregnancy clothes). But with the comfort of flowing dresses and leggings, she didn't have the support to reduce the affects of gravity. She just couldn't win.

"Oh, that reminds me, I would like to stop at a shopping center so that I can purchase a belly sling."

"A what?"

"A belly sling. Although you find this waddle adorable, it really causes a lot of discomfort. My hormones are loosening the connective tissue of the ilia so that the baby's head can push its way through my pelvic area and thorough the birth canal during delivery."

"TMI, Bones."

Brennan shrugged, she thought she had made it less graphic for him. "Booth, you must overcome your aversion to the changes in my body due to pregnancy. It is getting a bit "old" as you would say."

"It's not the changes in your body, Bones, it's the science-y explanations that get me. Can't I just call the waddle cute and draw you a bath or give you a massage and call it a day?"

"Oh, those do sound like nice solutions. I have also been doing pelvic exercises to relieve some of the pain."

"Please, please, don't tell me about your pelvic exercises. Well, unless they involve me," he added on second thought with a half smile and dark eyes.

She was definitely past the 'horny' stage of pregnancy, but maybe after some nice relaxing time in a bath… "Alright, now you are making us late for the appointment," she said as she rolled his eyes.

As they were exiting the apartment, Booth smiled again. He really did think her waddle was cute. And even though it frustrated Brennan, she couldn't help but smile when she saw his eyes twinkle. Another side effect to the hormones pulsing through her body.

They both settled in the car and got on their way. As was true for any trip around DC, they were sitting in traffic fighting over the radio until they compromised and just shut it off. "Alright, I am going to use the siren."

"Booth, do not use the siren. I am fine. I am not in labor, this is a normal appointment, I can survive a car ride."

"Are you sure? You look uncomfortable."

"Actually, even though my 'waddling' causes discomfort, it has relieved the pressure on my diaphragm. As lightening begins and the baby shifts, I do not find myself wheezing or struggling for air as much. And I am much hungrier now that my stomach has more room to take in food and digest."

"Well, good, I'm happy for you there, Bones."

"Thank you, I am happy for me as well. I would be even happier if we could stop off for a large order of French fries."

"As long as you don't turn up your nose at my double bacon cheeseburger, we can stop at a drive-thru on our way to work."

"Deal," she said with a satisfied smile.


	24. X is for XChromosome

**AN: I meant to post this earlier and completely forgot! Enjoy!  
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**X-Chromosome**

They were surrounded by pink.

Brennan had convinced Cam and Booth to allow her to work for a few hours everyday. Mostly just a stop in to check emails and to re-assign some of her work to interns, but it was enough to get her out of the house, which was what she needed.

Unfortunately, this gave Angela the opportunity that Brennan had been trying to avoid for 6 weeks.

Brennan had argued that she was a successful woman who would did not need her friends and co-workers to buy her anything for her baby. But Angela would not be deterred and had thrown her a luncheon shower during her two hours at the Jeffersonian that Monday. Brennan did not know what annoyed her more, Angela going against her wishes or not being able to do her work.

Booth had also been duped by a phone call from Jack that got him to the lab on some false pretense about a case. Booth and Brennan had sat through the shower and smiled when appropriate for about an hour. Just long enough to open presents, eat some cupcakes with pink frosting, and accept the well wishes of their colleagues. It was about 45 minutes too long for Booth, especially once he found out the cupcakes were vegan, gluten-free and taste free.

Since they hadn't expected a shower the partners also hadn't registered anywhere, so most of the gifts they received were more cute than practical. Everyone knew that Brennan would most likely be particular about brands and products for the baby, so buying bottles or diapers that would probably be returned by the eco-friendly scientist was not a good idea.

They loaded the SUV with the piles of gift bags and boxes and made their way to the new house. There was still some major work going on at the house, but the bedroom and bathroom, kitchen and baby's room were all finished. Essentially they were living in four rooms, just like at the apartment.

Booth had consented to allowing Brennan to carry some of the smaller and lighter items like the couture baby outfits from Cam, while he carried the large painting of a butterfly from Angela,

After getting the mountains of gifts into the baby's room they both stood there in the middle of the sea of pink in shock. If Brennan had had any energy left, she would have started her long diatribe about genderization in America and that she hoped her daughter would not pick her favorite color based on what societal expectations were.

Although Booth was looking forward to a little princess, he would have had to agree that this amount of pink looked more like the inside of a Pepto Bismol bottle than he preferred.

"See, Bones, this is why we shouldn't have found out what we are having," he sighed.

"Why? If technology allows us to find out the gender of our child before birth, they we should take advantage of it. It will help us prepare."

"Prepare what? I thought you were against buying gender specific items. All newborns need are diapers, bottles, some onesie things and a place to sleep. She really doesn't even need a room yet."

"That is true. Even if I didn't ask the technician to tell me what gender the fetus is, I would have been able to tell on the ultrasound, I do work with radiology equipment Booth. Oh, and we will not be using bottles until I go back to work and start expressing milk. I would also like to use cloth diapers, but the daycare at the lab only uses disposable diapers."

"Good, I don't think I would be able to deal with the giant safety pins and a wriggly baby."

"We really should be concerned with reducing our footprint, Booth, you already drive that ridiculously large car."

"Hey, that car is ridiculously huge because it is safe and also needs to have room for my equipment and your jumbo anthropologist bag and suit. Now add a car seat and a baby bag…"

"I was considering trading in the Prius for the new larger model that Toyota has now introduced. It has more trunk room and leg room in the backseat."

"Thanks for the car commercial, Bones. Are they sponsoring your new book?"

"No, my books make enough money without corporate sponsorship. Why?"

"Nevermind. Let's get back to dealing with this pink stuff."

Between the two of them, they unpacked the gifts and sorted them. The clothes were put in a pile for the wash, except for some of the outfits that were for 6-9 month old babies. The other gifts found spaces on shelves and Booth would be hanging those items destined for the wall. There were a few play mats that would have to be returned Brennan decided, as well as a duplicate combination mobile and sounds machine.

After they had finally conquered the battle of the gifts, it was time for bed. As they climbed into bed together, Brennan lay on her side with her pillows strategically placed and Booth lay on his back beside her. Facing her partner as they drifted off to sleep, Brennan asked the question she had been wondering about since they had been told the sex of the baby.

"Booth, do you wish we were having a boy instead of a girl?"

"What? Bones, I really don't care what the sex of the baby is. It's our baby, I would be happy either way, as long as it is healthy."

"I know you are supposed to say that, but I could see your grimace at all of the pink and frilly outfits."

"I wasn't grimacing because I'm unhappy about the baby being a girl. I'm worried that I won't know what to do with a girl. I already have a son and even though I don't get to spend as much time with him as I would like, I think that I am a good father to him."

"You are, Booth."

"And I only have a brother, I didn't have sisters growing up. Pops raised me. I was in the army. I just don't have a lot of experience with girls. You are probably the girl I have spent the most time around, and you have to admit, Bones, you aren't the stereotypical girl walking around in swamps and picking up dead things."

"I know. I find that I am nervous about having a girl too. I don't know how to play with Barbie's or tea parties and I was never invited to a sleepover. But I am nervous about a child in general."

"You will be great, Bones. We will be great."

"I just want you to be sure. I am not ruling out having future children, but I cannot promise you that we will have more after this one."

"I don't know if I want to have more kids either, Bones. I know I hate to admit it, but I am 40. I don't want to be one of those dads that uses a cane at high school graduation."

This made her chuckle and Booth, thinking the conversation was over, closed his eyes.

"Booth?"

"Yeah."

"Can we go to the mall this weekend and go shopping?"

"Sure. Why?"

"Well, if she has to have that much pink in her closet, We are going to have to go buy a lot of yellow and green and white to balance it out. I don't want her looking like a cupcake everyday."

"Hey, maybe I will buy her some Flyers shirts, ooh and Phillies. She has to be ready to watch her first game with me."

"As long as they aren't pink, you can get her whatever you want."


	25. Y is for Yearning

**AN: Two in one night! It's short and it may feel like I am repeating things I've done before, but hey, I made it to Y. Now off to finish Z before Monday!  
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**Yearning**

Booth was going crazy. Brennan's due date was in one week and if he felt helpless weeks ago, he did not even know what to name what he was feeling now. She was going crazy because he had become even more overprotective than ever, barely allowing her to sit down or stand up without help.

Brennan had been processing these emotions for a while now in a stunning reverse of their normal characters. Booth was usually the emotional one, the most intuitive, the most trusting. However, maybe it was the hormones, maybe it was motherhood settling in, either way, Brennan was ready. She was mostly ready to stop being pregnant, but it was like a switch had flipped, she woke up one morning and just knew that she was ready to be a mother.

Booth was not so lucky. As the day grew closer he lost control of his usual calm and cool exterior, or at least the exterior he thought he portrayed, and was a bumbling mess.

With every Braxton Hicks contraction, with every slight grimace from Brennan he would jump and ask if it was time. He would assure him that everything was normal and that she was not in labor and even if she was, he should calm down. It was a natural process after all.

So he was nervous. But also very excited. He was excited to share this experience with Bones. He was excited to meet this person who had changed his life and their relationship so drastically. He was excited to see the person that their baby became. He was maybe most excited because it gave a new label to his and Bones' relationship.

For years they had been partners and friends. Then they had become more than that. But in seven years there had never been a good label, a name to put to their relationship that was recognized and understood by everyone. Now, now they would be parents. Parents of a little girl. Something only they shared. A way they were linked forever.

The excitement went beyond anything he had ever felt before. He was excited about Parker's birth as well, but wasn't there day to day, to be a part of the countdown. This child would go home with him after she was born. To live with him. It was a new life. Not just literally, but figuratively for him, and for Bones and for both of them. This was a new life.

So maybe a better word for the feeling was yearning. He was yearning to start this new chapter. He couldn't sleep. A cross between army preparedness and a kid waiting for Christmas, he was up at the slightest noise from the partner beside him and up much earlier than the alarm.

He had checked everything he could check. He had put the car seat in the back of the car, made sure the screws on the bassinet were tight enough. He was just waiting for Brennan to give him the signal so that he could go into battle mode.

Yesterday had been a long day. Multiple people at the office asked how Dr. Brennan was and asked how close the baby is. Every time he answered 'any time now' and received that knowing smile he wanted to tell them all to leave him alone.

HR had the paperwork for his paternity leave on the desk for him this morning too. He had filled it out very carefully, making sure that no mistake would take away one minute that he got to be with Bones and Baby Bones. He didn't have a lot of time, he was going to make all of it count.

It seemed like everything on the checklist was checked off, now they were all just waiting. Every night as he went to sleep he made sure that there was a bag packed by the door and he had clothes laid out. Every morning when he woke up to start a new day, trying to go about and do normal things, knowing he was at least one day closer to the big event.

The worst part was being away from Bones all day. He was glued to his phone. Repeatedly checking to make sure he didn't miss a call and had enough service and battery power to receive the call he was waiting for.

Even Hodgins made fun of him when he would stop by the lab, the man who had a panic attack when trying to Angela to the hospital on time was actually making fun of him. That was when he knew he had to get a grip.

So today he tried to not be so neurotic. Today didn't require as much caffeine. Today he didn't day dream as much and he would go for 20 minutes or more without checking his phone. Today he actually got some work done.

And today he got to spend with Bones as she chipped in on a case for the few hours she was working. He was still over protective, but was much better at not pissing Bones off.

He now knew that the day of 'normalcy' they had was the calm before the storm. Because about six hours ago, Bones had told him it was time. And now he was holding his daughter in his arms.


	26. Z is for Zygomatic Arch

**AN: Here it is, the end! I want to thank everyone who has ever written a review for this story, I am awful about responding, but I appreciated every single one of them.**

**Also, I was lucky enough to have seen The Prisoner in the Pipe back in March, but I can guarantee this does not spoil anything. I can't wait to watch it (and cry) again tomorrow night. Enjoy!  
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**Zygomatic Arch**

The man had walked the well-wishers to their cars and said goodnight. It has been a long day, but there was no way he could sleep yet. His head was still spinning, his heart was still racing, his hands still shaking.

He walked into the room and the racing pulse stopped abruptly as he took in the sight before him. The woman sat in a rocking chair with a bundle held close to her chest. The moonbeams shining through the curtains tracked her movement back and forth as the cadence of the rocker kept the beat for her lullaby.

He wanted to somehow remember this moment, lock it away, for when things weren't this perfect. He knew their life together would not always be like this. The baby would cry and refuse to sleep some nights. She would get sick, be sad, have bad dreams, and worst of all, grow up. But tonight she is content enough to be rocked by her mother. Perfect.

And there will be nights when the woman will be angry with him and refuse to sleep as well. She will be busy with work, frustrated with his choice in TV, have bad dreams, and worst of all, spend a night away from him. But tonight the woman is humming with a secret smile on her face, content enough to start a family with him. Perfect.

"Booth?" the woman whispered, breaking through his thoughts and dreams.

"Yeah, Bones?" he answered as he came to stand next to her.

"I can't put her down."

"What?"

"I find that I am very attached to her. I don't want to put her down."

The man smiled, gave her a kiss, and took the baby from her. Slowly he put her down in the bassinet they had spent weeks researching and shopping for and hours assembling, making sure it was perfect. He stepped back and helped her stand from the rocking chair and get into bed. There were tears in her eyes, and while he knew she was still in pain from giving birth, he also knew that part of it was the hormones and being more than inches away from the baby.

He quickly got ready for bed and climbed in next to her. She had moved to the very edge of the bed so that she could reach a hand out and place it on her daughter's little belly feeling it rise and fall with every breath, protecting her from the world around her. He just moved over closer to her and placed his hand on her abdomen, trying to somehow simultaneously convince himself that their baby was no longer there, comfort her, and even though he knew it wasn't possible, take some of the pain away.

The woman fell asleep, no matter how much she tried to keep her eyes open, the gravity and exhaustion of the day set in and the need for sleep took over. The man stayed awake watching over his family, not quite ready for the day to be over.

As the man lay there listening to the steady breaths of his two girls, his thoughts and dreams returned to keep him company. The woman in his arms was the great love of his life. It certainly wasn't easy, but it was worth fighting for. Real love always was.

He sees their past, their present, their future and now he sees the precious baby with them; the precious baby that is slowly waking up. He rolls out of bed and rushes to the bassinet employing every ounce of his sniper training so that he wouldn't wake up the woman in the bed.

He picked up the swaddled bundle and settled into the rocking chair.

The woman was lying in bed, quietly watching the man rocking the baby in the chair.

For a long time, she was sure she would not have this. A child, a partner in life, a home, she was sure she would never have love. And now she was surrounded. It still scared her to depend on anyone so completely; to have faith and trust in something so unscientific. But, watching him rock the baby, she finally had her proof. And even if there were days in the future where the ephemeral nature of this bliss and love reared its ugly head, she had learned that it was all worth it.

She finally understood what her father had been trying to explain for years. It didn't matter that the life he and her mother had planned fell apart and that she was killed. Because the time they did have together was worth it, and he would love her to the day he died. And the woman knew she loved the man the same way.

She missed her mother more today than she had in years. But she finally had her own family to build a future with.

She wanted to be a part of the twosome rocking in the chair; she needed to be nearer to the daughter who was a combination of them both. "Booth?"

"She has you nose," was all he said.

"She has your chin."

"She has your eyes," he said looking up with a smile. She didn't even bother to correct him; she hoped that her eyes stayed blue as well.

"She has your ears."

"She has your zygomatic arch," he shot back making them both dissolve into quiet laughter.

"Do you even know what that means?"

"Bones, it's been 8 years, I have picked up on some of the lab speak."

She just smiled. He was right anyway. "You should put her back down if she is asleep."

"I can't." They both wanted to hold onto this perfect beginning just a little bit longer.

"Bring her over here."

"Why?"

"Just come here."

The woman half sat against the pillows and the man and the baby joined her. She took the baby and laid her against her chest while he wrapped his arms around the two of them.

They learned that night that dreams of 'happily ever after's were not only for children. And if they were, then it is possible that for just a few hours, we can achieve the innocence and hope of childhood once again. All because of love.


End file.
